Jean Bennett Batton

Jean Guilford Bennett Batton was born March 23, 1936, to Charles Fred Guilford and Gladys Hickman Carden Guilford in Beaufort, South Carolina. Emma Farmer Hickman Boyle, Jean's maternal grandmother, helped raise her. Jean Guilford Bennett Batton died May 6, 2016, at St. Bernard's Medical Center, Jonesboro, Arkansas.

In 1955, Jean graduated from Beaufort High School, and in 1981, she graduated from the Medical University, Charleston, South Carolina, with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She loved taking care of people and nursing for 35 years. When she retired, she was a supervisor for Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, Paragould, Arkansas.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles Fred Guilford and Gladys Hickman Carden Guilford; her maternal grandparents, Emma Farmer Hickman Boyle and Benjamin Paul Carden; her paternal grandparents; Jane Hore Guilford and George Sewell Guilford; her oldest son, William R. "Billy" Bennett, Jr. who died February 11, 2008, in Beaufort, South Carolina; and her brothers, Benjamin Paul Carden and Charles Fred Guilford, Jr.

Jean is survived by her husband, Earl Batton of Paragould, Arkansas; her sons, Ronald Guilford Bennett and his wife, Joyce, and Timothy Bennett, all of Beaufort, South Carolina; one grandson, Chance Tyler Bennett and his wife, Janice, of Clarksville, Pennsylvania; one great grandson, Rodney Bennett; and one great granddaughter, Luna Bennett.

Jean was the organist and pianist for Pruetts Chapel United Methodist Church, Paragould, Arkansas, for many years. Altogether, she played for over 40 years to various churches.

Genealogy and her family were her passion, as she loved to research and discover information on her family tree. Jean has been Vice President of Programs for the Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society and a member of the society for many years. Her devotion and dedication to GCHGS will truly be missed. She was a member of The Mayflower Society through three lines; the Brewster, Childers, and Soule families. She is a descendant of 2nd King Henry 3rd of England and Frederic 6th of France.

A memorial service will be Tuesday, May 10, 2016, at 2 pm at Pruetts Chapel United Methodist Church under the direction of Heath Funeral Home with Rev. Ed Seay officiating. Memorials may be sent to Pruetts Chapel United Methodist Church or Arkansas Methodist Medical Center.