Mrs. Mildred Hatcher Bentley

Mrs. Mildred Hatcher Bentley, 89, of Sylvester, died peacefully Thursday, May 9, 2019. Visitation will be held at 10am on Monday, May 13, 2019 at Kimbrell Stern with the funeral beginning at 11:00 AM with interment to follow at Riverside Cemetery. Rev. Raymond Andrews will officiate. Casey Chapman, Isaiah Cromer, John Graddy, Keith Green, Wade Littleton and Joe Turcotte will serve as pallbearers. The family would like to recognize her caregivers Carolyn, Natoya, Tammy, Eva, Kathy and Barbara as honorary pallbearers and extend a special thanks to Integrity Hospice. Mrs. Bentley (most affectionately known as “Aunt Billie”) was born September 25, 1929 to the late James Albert and Ollie Bell Knox Hatcher. Always the life of the party, she enjoyed cooking and entertaining large crowds of family and friends and was most always the last to go to bed. She and her husband Tom spent the better part of 35 years at Lake Blackshear, where from sunup to sundown you could find her working in the yards or rocking on the front porch offering a wave or a kind word to those passing by on the water. One of her great pleasures was serving on the SAM Shortline. The face of southern hospitality, she joined Tom riding the rails where she met many interesting passengers, volunteers and formed new friendships. She also served alongside her husband during his time as a Shriner where they dedicated their time and talents to help provide care for families and children in need. As a stay at home mom for most of her life, she continued in that role helping care for two of her granddaughters who lost their mother to cancer before reaching their teen years. She taught her family the value of a dollar and the importance of hard work. She spent the last years of her life dedicated to showing her love for her family. Those left to grieve include her husband, Tom Bentley; children, Stanley (Repete) McDonald of Oklahoma City, OK; Jerry (Claudia) McDonald of Oklahoma City, OK; Keith McDonald of Millen, GA; Bill Bentley of Cleveland, GA; Roberta Bentley of Houston, TX; grandchildren, Kellie (Casey) Chapman of Poulan, GA; Skye (Rob) Gardner of Sylvester, GA; Marshall (Lindsay) McDonald of TyTy, GA; Hailey (Chris) Gutel of Oklahoma City, OK; Lacee (Albert) Harrison of Tuttle, OK; Madison McDonald of Oklahoma City, OK; Marlie McDonald of Oklahoma City, OK; Stephanie (Justin) of Blanchard, OK; Lindsay McDonald of Yukon, OK; Candie (Andy) Palmer of Grayling, MI; Mandie McDonald of Albany, GA; Mindy (Scott) Snyder of St. Petersburg, FL; Keith Bentley of Panama City, FL and Jennifer (William) Chumbley of Goodview, VA; 22 great-grandchildren; four great, great-grandchildren and a host of nieces and nephews. She was the remaining survivor of her siblings, Martha June Wills, Bernice Cromer, Virgil Hatcher, Vonl Hatcher and Dennis Hatcher. In addition to her parents, she was also preceded in death by her sons, Albert McDonald, Stephen McDonald and Larry Bentley.