Bennie Lee Davis Turbeville passed away on August 15th in Raleigh.
She was born in Raeford to the late Thomas Franklin Davis and Frankie CurrieDavis. She was preceded in death by her husband Robert Turbeville, her daughter Debbie Finley-Foor;.sister Eloise Wade, and brothers Paul, Tommy, and Kenneth Davis.
Her first employment was with Graves Registration at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Anchorage Alaska where she helped document unidentified soldiers killed in the invasion of the Aleutian Islands.
Upon returning to Raeford, she was employed at Burlington Industries where she rose from the spinning room floor to the Planning Department to the Dye House to be the company's first woman supervisor. No matter what the job, she worked tirelessly to be the best at everything no matter how big or small the task. She was a progressive woman with an entrepreneur spirit and was fiercely independent.
Upon retiring from Burlington Industries, she went home to help her husband run the farm. They enjoyed making and selling crafts and working in the gardens. Upon the death of her husband, she relocated to downtown Raeford. She had a knack for repairing and restoring old objects which she sold at her "infamous" yard sales.
She was a devoted wife and a loving mother, sister and friend. She had a wonderful sense of humor and loved pulling jokes on others. She was a loving caretaker for her brother and sister-in-law providing them with food, companionship and assistance in multiple areas of need until their deaths.
She was an active member in her church until a decline in her health forced her to move to Raleigh to Abbotswood, a retirement living facility to be near her daughters. She remained active at Abbotswood participating in outings, winning the corn hole toss and was a fierce playing bingo player. She attributed her successful bingo luck to the rabbit's foot she kept tucked away in her pocket.
She is survived by two daughters, Linda Odom (John) and Pat Nicholson (Nick) both of Raleigh; five grandchildren, Robert and Lee Ann Odom, John and Thomas Nicholson and and Kara Michael; six great-grandchildren; a brother, Jerry Davis (and wife Barbara) of San Antonio, Texas; sister-in-law Francis Davis of Southern Pines; and brother-in-law Bill Turbeville (and wife Johnnie) of Jasper, Georgia.
The family will receive friends Tuesday from 10-11 a.m. at Hillcrest Baptist Church, 2699 US Hwy 401, Raeford.
The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, August 18, 2015 at Hillcrest Baptist Church with Pastor Toby Neal officiating. Burial will be in the Raeford Cemetery
Flowers are welcome or memorials may be made to Hillcrest Baptist, PO Box 1533 Raeford, NC 28376.