Obit – Mr. Benton Hensley
Mr. Benton Hensley, age 84, a longtime resident of South Carthage, died peacefully with his caregivers at his bedside at 1:15 a.m. Monday morning, November 28, 2022, at the Turkey Creek community home of his caregivers, Dianne Thompson Barnes and Charles Barnes. He was pronounced deceased at 3:35 a.m. by HighPoint Hospice of Gallatin who had been assisting the family with his care.
At Mr. Hensley’s request, no formal services were conducted and he was laid to rest at 9:45 a.m. Monday morning, November 28th, in the Circle Park section at the Smith County Memorial Gardens beside his wife of over twenty five years, Granville native, the former Barbara Ann Manier Hensley, who died at the age of 61 on June 2, 2019.
Mr. Hensley was the oldest of five children and was born Benton David Hensley in Carthage on March 25, 1938 and was the son of the late Leslie Hensley, who died in a construction accident during the building of the Center Hill Dam on April 14, 1947 at the age of 33, and Minnie Blanche Elrod Hensley Barrett, who died February 23, 1991 at the age of 73.
All four of his siblings preceded him in death, William Walter, “Big Bill” Hensley, died in an automobile accident at Baker’s Grill on Cookeville Highway at the age of 21 on October 5, 1967, Diane Hensley Grisham, died at the age of 56 on March 7, 2001, Mable Evelyn Barrett, died at the age of 46 on February 1, 2007, and Lois Faye Hensley Fisher, died at the age of 73 on November 12, 2015.
Mr. Hensley was a 1958 graduate of Smith County High School where he played football all four years and was a member of the “C” Club.
He played left guard and was a member of the 1957 squad that defeated Madison in the famed Hartsville Tobacco Bowl. The score was 27-21. The only team that defeated the “Owls” in ’57 was Cookeville 20-7. In six of their Friday night games their opponents never scored a point, including the powerful Sparta and Lebanon football squads.
He majored in Foreign Languages and was a member of both the Latin and Spanish clubs. The statement made about him in the ‘58 annual was; “Let sleeping dogs lie-who wants to rouse them?”
Mr. Hensley proudly served our country with the United States Army and was inducted September 14, 1961 and his service was just before the beginning of the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged on September 13, 1963 from his station at Fort Lee, Virginia with the rank of Private First Class and where he was a member of the Company A, 63rd Battalion.
For his dedication he was awarded the Good Conduct Medal and the Rifle Sharpshooter Badge.
He was a member of the Carthage First Baptist Church.
Mr. Hensley was a retired tractor-trailer driver, first having worked for Thurston Motor Lines until their sale to Brown Transport and, before retirement, drove for many years for Fed-Ex with a total career in the transportation industry of forty five years.
Besides his caregivers, the Barnes family, he is survived by several nieces and a nephew.
SANDERSON of CARTHAGE
