Obituary of Ethel Marie Ricks Benton ETHEL MARIE RICKS BENTON Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - Sunday, January 25, 2004 Ethel Marie "Ricki" Ricks Benton, 75, died Jan. 23, 2004, at Southampton Memorial Hospital after a 14-year battle with cancer. She was the widow of James Herbert Benton and a daughter of the late Lina B. Story Ricks and Richard Edward Ricks Sr. She was also predeceased by an infant brother, Millard Howard Ricks, and an infant sister, Etheleen Virginia Ricks. Mrs. Benton was a native of Southampton County, a homemaker, a former member of the Franklin Christian Womens Club and a member of Clarksbury Baptist Church. She was an avid reader, a lover of nature and found solace during her years of illness walking in the fields and forests of the Ricks family homeplace in Boykins, where she was born and reared. Ricki will be remembered as an obedient daughter, a cherished sister, a devoted wife, and a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt. Survivors include a daughter, Brenda Carol Benton Arriaga and husband, Leonardo Hernandez Arriaga, of Chase City, Va.; grandsons, Matthew C. Duke and wife, Christine S. Duke, of Oxford, N.C., and James Martin Duke of Silver Spring, Md.; a great-granddaughter, Elizabeth L. Duke of Oxford; four brothers, Richard Edward Ricks Jr. and Joseph Wallace Ricks and wife, Betty, all of Boykins, Linwood Franklin Ricks of Drewryville and Calvin Edison Ricks and wife, Sally of Capron; a sister, Marion R. Preedy and husband, William Ernest, of Chesapeake; and three nephews and five nieces. A funeral will be held Monday at 2 p.m. in the chapel of Wright Funeral Home, Franklin, with the Rev. Durward Vaughan officiating. Burial will follow in Beechwood Cemetery, Boykins. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8:30 p.m. today at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, c/o Mrs. Ruth Petty, 116 Southampton Road, Franklin, VA 23851. Edition: FINAL Section: LOCAL Page: B5 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ––– Narrative Summary of the Obituary ––– Ethel Marie Ricks Benton, 75, of Southampton County, died 23 Jan 2004 at Southampton Memorial Hospital after a long illness. She was born in Boykins, daughter of Richard Edward Ricks Sr. and Lina B. Story Ricks, and was the widow of James Herbert Benton. Funeral services were held 26 Jan 2004 at Wright Funeral Home, Franklin, officiated by Rev. Durward Vaughan. Burial followed in Beechwood Cemetery, Boykins. ––– Transcript ––– ETHEL MARIE RICKS BENTON Ethel Marie "Ricki" Ricks Benton, 75, died Jan. 23, 2004, at Southampton Memorial Hospital after a 14-year battle with cancer. She was the widow of James Herbert Benton and a daughter of the late Lina B. Story Ricks and Richard Edward Ricks Sr. She was also predeceased by an infant brother, Millard Howard Ricks, and an infant sister, Etheleen Virginia Ricks. Mrs. Benton was a native of Southampton County, a homemaker, a former member of the Franklin Christian Womens Club and a member of Clarksbury Baptist Church. She was an avid reader, a lover of nature and found solace during her years of illness walking in the fields and forests of the Ricks family homeplace in Boykins, where she was born and reared. Ricki will be remembered as an obedient daughter, a cherished sister, a devoted wife, and a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt. Survivors include a daughter, Brenda Carol Benton Arriaga and husband, Leonardo Hernandez Arriaga, of Chase City, Va.; grandsons, Matthew C. Duke and wife, Christine S. Duke, of Oxford, N.C., and James Martin Duke of Silver Spring, Md.; a great-granddaughter, Elizabeth L. Duke of Oxford; four brothers, Richard Edward Ricks Jr. and Joseph Wallace Ricks and wife, Betty, all of Boykins, Linwood Franklin Ricks of Drewryville and Calvin Edison Ricks and wife, Sally of Capron; a sister, Marion R. Preedy and husband, William Ernest, of Chesapeake; and three nephews and five nieces. A funeral will be held Monday at 2 p.m. in the chapel of Wright Funeral Home, Franklin, with the Rev. Durward Vaughan officiating. Burial will follow in Beechwood Cemetery, Boykins. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8:30 p.m. today at the funeral home. ––– Vital Statistics ––– |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Ethel Marie Ricks Benton | | Age | 75 | | Birth | 1928 (estimated); Boykins, Southampton County, Virginia | | Death | 23 Jan 2004; Southampton Memorial Hospital, Virginia | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| ––– Table of Relationships ––– |------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Name | Relationship | Residence | |-----------------------------|-----------------------|------------------------| | Ethel Marie Ricks Benton | Decedent | Southampton County, VA | | James Herbert Benton | Husband (predeceased) | — | | Richard Edward Ricks Sr. | Father (predeceased) | — | | Lina B. Story Ricks | Mother (predeceased) | — | | Brenda Carol Benton Arriaga | Daughter | Chase City, VA | | Leonardo Hernandez Arriaga | Son-in-law | Chase City, VA | | Matthew C. Duke | Grandson | Oxford, NC | | Christine S. Duke | Grandson's wife | Oxford, NC | | James Martin Duke | Grandson | Silver Spring, MD | | Elizabeth L. Duke | Great-granddaughter | Oxford, NC | | Richard Edward Ricks Jr. | Brother | Boykins, VA | | Joseph Wallace Ricks | Brother | Boykins, VA | | Betty Ricks | Sister-in-law | Boykins, VA | | Linwood Franklin Ricks | Brother | Drewryville, VA | | Calvin Edison Ricks | Brother | Capron, VA | | Sally Ricks | Sister-in-law | Capron, VA | | Marion R. Preedy | Sister | Chesapeake, VA | | William Ernest Preedy | Brother-in-law | Chesapeake, VA | | Millard Howard Ricks | Brother (predeceased) | — | | Etheleen Virginia Ricks | Sister (predeceased) | — | |------------------------------------------------------------------------------| ––– Publication Details ––– |---------------------------------| | Field | Value | |----------|----------------------| | Location | Norfolk, VA | | Name | Virginian-Pilot, The | | Date | 25 Jan 2004 | | Edition | FINAL | | Section | LOCAL | | Page | B5 | |---------------------------------| ––– Other Relevant Information ––– • Homemaker • Member of Clarksbury Baptist Church • Former member of Franklin Christian Womens Club • Native of Southampton County, Virginia • Also known as "Ricki" • Birth name was Ethel Marie Ricks [See also: www.findagrave.com/memorial/69464420/ethel-benton www.findagrave.com/memorial/69464489/james_herbert-benton (spouse) http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/southampton/cemeteries/beechwd.txt www.findagrave.com/cemetery/49382/beechwood-cemetery? ] [Contributed by Bruce Saunders, bs4403@verizon.net Formattinng and references by the Southampton Transcription Project] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may have contributed to the creation of this text. 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