SHIRLEYBENTON

Ms. Benton grew up in Gate City and changed her name to honor her grandmother, Julia Melissa Elliott Brooks. She is survived by her sister, Joy Benton Shipley of Weber City.

Ms. Benton was preceded in death by her mother, Vivian Brooks Greear; her father, Edgar Swanson Benton; and brother, Ralph Maynard Benton.

Ms. Benton was president of her senior class and graduated from Midway High School in Scott County and The Whitney School of Business before moving to Washington, D.C., in 1951 to join the FBI. After living in New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and New York, Ms. Benton returned to Virginia to raise her children in the Shenandoah Valley.

She is survived by her five children, Michelle Davis, Robin Cubbage, Richard Davis, Melissa (Scott) Hinchman and Kimberly (Si) Riffle. She also has 10 grandchildren and 15 greatgrandchildren.

While Ms. Benton always put her children first, she was also a proud feminist and marched in Washington, D.C., for the ERA. She built her retirement home in Charlottesville and spent her senior years gardening and caretaking her home, one of her many passions. She will be dearly missed.

A memorial service and celebration of life will be held in Charlottesville in the summer of 2025. NG