Edna Herma Bennekou

Edna Herma Bennekou, a long-time resident of Marietta, Georgia passed away on Wednesday, December 30, 2015 at the age of age 87. She was preceded in death by younger son Terry Bennekou. Survivors are son H. D. (Bob) Tolley, daughter in law Cindy M. Tolley, granddaughter April Michele Tolley, and daughter in law Paula Bennekou.

The Funeral Service will be coordinated by Georgia Memorial Park, 2000 Cobb Parkway SE, Marietta, Georgia, 30060. Phone # (770) 432-0771. Visitation will be Sunday, January 3, 2016 from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. The Funeral Service will be at the Georgia Memorial Park Chapel at 2:00 PM Monday, January 4, 2016 with the Graveside committal following at the Georgia Memorial Park Cemetery.

Mrs. Bennekou was born in Clarksville, GA on April 7, 1928, the only daughter of Paul Russell Sims and Anna Leila Clark Sims. The young Miss Sims spent most of her childhood years in Big Ridge, NC, and loved the Lord from an early age. She graduated from Glenville High School, Glenville, NC in 1945 and married Howard Dillard Tolley in Union County, Georgia on August 17, 1946. Howard Dillard Tolley Jr was born May 23, 1947. She moved to Marietta, GA in 1951, where she continued her education at Greenleaf Business College in Atlanta, Georgia, and later hired on to Lockheed Georgia as an administrative secretary. She married Robert Tage Bennekou in 1956, and Howard Dillard Tolley Jr was adopted with his name changed to Robert Tage Bennekou II on November 3, 1956. Terry Robert Bennekou was born February 24, 1957. After visiting several local churches, Mrs. Bennekou began regularly attending the First Baptist Church of Marietta, which began a lifelong membership. Summers were always filled with weekly revival meetings and visiting “The Field of the Wood” in North Carolina.

In her later years she belonged to the Order of Eastern Star, and served for many years in the Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital Womens’ Auxillary. Edna, husband Ernest M. Clark, and her son Terry Bennekou built a large butterfly house, they always had a small vegetable garden, and flowers all around the house. They loved birds, and had several bird houses and feeders. As it became difficult for her to go outside by herself, she began much oil painting, needlepoint, and embroidery upon canvas.