Maxine Bennett

Mother Bennett was born to Willie and Minerva Myles on December 2, 1939, in Winchester, Arkansas. She was the ninth of ten (10) children born to this union. She journeyed to Omaha, Nebraska with her mother and brother in 1950.

Maxine graduated from Technical High School in 1956 at the age of sixteen. To help support her mother and brother, she worked at Brandeis Department Store for two years. In 1958 she married Deloyd L. Bennett and from their union, five children were born, Delores, Anita, Crystal, Emory, and Tracy.

As a keypunch operator, Maxine worked at Wilson Packing Plant and UPS. But her greatest joy was to work as a home daycare provider for Douglas County. She provided exceptional care for hundreds of children of all ages and nationalities. Maxine loved children and in return, her children loved her. For fourteen years she welcomed up to thirty-three children a day, three volunteer workers, and help from her daughters and husband as needed.

Over the years, Mother Bennett never allowed anything or anyone to interfere with her commitment to God or her beloved Mount Zion Church. Maxine along with several of her sisters and brother, became devoted members of the Mt. Zion Church of God in Christ shortly after arriving in Omaha, Nebraska.
 
Maxine accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior at an early age and began singing and directing the choir. She loved her pastors, Elder John Bell, Bishop Bobby Murray, and Pastor L. G. Richardson Sr. Whom she served with joy, love, and dedication. She was an avid supporter of the Church and the music ministry.

The music ministry was her safe haven where she found endless joy. She worked diligently as the lead choir director, pastor aid leader, and in hospitality at all levels, local, district and jurisdictional.

Mother Bennett loved and honored her family, friends, and the numerous sisters and brothers she met and loved from churches across the state of Nebraska and the United States. She was a natural worshipper who loved and served the Lord with all her heart, body, and soul.
 
Mother Bennett loved traveling by any means necessary, car, bus, van, plane, or ship to Kansas City, Kansas, Missouri, Des Moines, Iowa, Memphis, Tennessee, St. Louis, Illinois, Oklahoma, Florida, Detroit, and the Bahamas were some of her favorite places to visit. She was usually so excited in the preparation for these trips she may have been just a tad tardy and was affectionately given the nickname “Last minute Bennett” by none other than the late and great Evangelist Jackie Grayer. Enough said about that!

Mother Bennett found sisterly love, support and lifelong friendships from the women who worked in the Jurisdictional Hospitality, state, or district music departments. Many of you may know Supervisor Martha Parker Love, Supervisor Martha J. Holmes, Mother Pasty Jordan, the late Mother Ida Relford, Evangelist Jackie Grayer, and Mother Pollard to name a few. Whenever or wherever these women were together oh what a time they would have, sharing stories, and testimonies. There was much laughter and love to go around. They clearly enjoyed one another’s company. Their fellowship was natural and authentic. These saints genuinely loved one another. Times were simpler back then because God was their everything. The anointing on their lives was real. These women were some of Mother Bennett’s closest friends. You all were priceless to her coupled with the great women at Mt. Zion, Mother Helene Shannon, Mother Hilda Ward, the late Mother Galf, Mother Chaney, Mother Carmichael, Mother Chapman, Mother Cross, her beloved Mother Caldwell, and many other great women and men who made Mother Bennett’s life full and complete. Thank you for your love, prayers, and support over the years.

REST IN PEACE, MOM!

Mother Bennett was preceded in death by her Father and Mother Willie and Minerva Myles; Brothers, Napoleon Myles of California, Willie LeVert Myles, and CB Myles, of Omaha, NE; Sisters, Bernice Stewart, Janice Myles, Melvia Jordan, Vernell Jones, Venobia Vaughan, and Essie Wynne, all of Omaha, NE; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

She is survived by husband of 65 years, Deloyd; her children, Delores of Venice, Florida, Anita (Allen) of San Antonio, Texas, Crystal of Nokomis, Florida, Emory and Tracy of Omaha, NE; Grandchildren, Maxim (Tiffany), Omaha, NE, Darius (Jay), Omaha, NE,  Sharra, Atlanta, GA, Dorrell, Omaha, NE, Donte’, Lincoln, NE, Jamale, Denver, CO,  Jerrell, Omaha, NE, Christian, Omaha, NE, Devlon, Omaha, NE, Tionne, Omaha, NE, Adrion, Omaha, NE and Aliyah (Jamal), Atlanta, GA; Nine great grandchildren; nieces, nephews, cousins, god-children, and a host of other relatives and friends.

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