Lottie McCoy Austin Bennett

Lottie McCoy Austin Bennett, 99, of Hugh Bennett Rd., Morganton, NC went home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on March 1, 2011. Waiting for her were her were her parents, Margaret Lorene Alexander Austin and Walter Lenoir Austin. Joining them were her beloved husband and sweetheart of 60 years, Hugh Caldwell Bennett, and their first born son and his wife, Charles and Jean Patton Bennett. She was a member of First United Methodist Church.Lottie was born in Mount Holly, NC on May 11, 1911. She was a little sister to Winnie, Essie, Elizabeth, Carl, Earl and Wallace. As a young woman she was employed at Southern Bell Telephone. In 1947 they moved to a farm on what is now Hugh Bennett Road, and she became a full-time mother and homemaker. She loved gardening, writing poetry, and looking for four-leaf clovers. He also enjoyed entering contests and won a lot of small ones for her poems and for her peanut butter muffins. Nothing made her happier than doing things for her family and friends. Her heart was large and giving and loving.Waiting to join her there are daughter, Andrea Kiser and husband, Wayne; son, Gary Bennett and wife, Therisa; grandchildren and their spouses, Robin and Tim Michaels, Donna and Rick Childress, Patrick and Tonya Kiser, Chuck and Tanya Bennett, and Brad and Rosa Bennett; great-grandchildren, Henry Michaels, Devin Kiser, Mary Jessamine Michaels, Hallie Kiser, Leland Michaels, McKenna Childress, Anna Rose Childress, Gracie Kiser, Sam Childress, Zach Bennett, Lucas Bennett, Tyler Bennett, Mishka Bennett, Arianna Bennett, and Baby Dear. She had a very special love for her nephews and nieces especially, Tula Stowell. She leaves a huge hole in the hearts of those who loved her but also many precious memories which include camping at Smokemont, shining shoes, being a grade mother, don’t get my bite, run to Granny, Big Purple, all things purple, riding the bull at Cherokee, be careful, making rat costumes and dresses with little pink bows in the middle of the night, and "things could always be worse".In 1998 she was given 30 minutes to live and many prayers were sent up, and she later said that her prayer was that she was ready to go, but if He didn’t mind she would like to stay a little while longer with her children and grandchildren. God answered her prayer. There are not enough words--how do you put 99 years of a beautiful life into a few paragraphs? She had looked forward with much anticipation to her 100th birthday, but we know that she will do this in a much better place as we are left to celebrate it here. She was cared for very tenderly in life and after death by her family. We appreciate the love and dignity shown her by her physicians, Dr. David Abernathy and Dr. Jayendra Patel, and extend a special thank you to nephew, John Bennett for his special delivery of her medications.The funeral will be held at 12:00 p.m. Thursday, March 3, 2011, in the Colonial Chapel of Sossoman Funeral Home with Reverends Michael Brown and Eddy Bunton officiating. Burial will follow at Bennett Family Cemetery. The family will receive friends Thursday from 11:00 until 12 noon. Memorial contributions may be made to March of Dimes, ATTN: DRFR, 1275 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, NY 10605 or to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, PO Box 4527, New York, NY 10163.