Anathia Bernice Grisham Beneby: Truly her services will be be miss

Anathia Bernice Grisham Beneby was born in 1937, in Nashville, TN, and died peacefully at her home in Port Orange, Florida on December 15, 2019. Anathia is the only child of Loyal and Gertrude Grisham.  She graduated early from both high school and college after obtaining a bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University.  She would later obtain her State of Florida Department of Education Teacher’s Certificate and master’s degree from Nova University.

Anathia married Fred Beneby in 1959, and they have one daughter Vonshelle Beneby.

Anathia specialized in exceptional student education with emphasis on emotionally disturbed/socially maladjusted students, music instruction and therapy, and special education core curriculum.  Anathia worked for Broward County Schools for thirty years and was awarded Sunset Learning Center Teacher of the Year in 1985 and 1986.

After her retirement Anathia moved back to her home state of Tennessee before moving to Port Orange FL, to live closer to her daughter.

Anathia was a Life Member and actively involved in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., in both Fort Lauderdale (Zeta Rho Omega) and Tennessee (Pi Mu Omega) where she for-med lifelong friendships and sisterhood. Anathia played both the organ and piano for over thirty years at her church, St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church (Fort Lauderdale).  Her other civic and professional affiliations included Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Site Chairperson, Dillard Community School Chorale, Dillard High School Band and Chorale Department, NAACP, Bethune-Cookman College Concert Chorale Parent’s Association, Advisory Board Member and Volunteer for Hospice of Murfreesboro and St. Clair Street Senior Center, and Ivy AKAdemy Educational Enrichment.

A few of her many acknowledgments include Trailblazer Award Nominee, two-time Community Service Award Honoree, Order of the Eastern Star’s Outstanding Woman of the Community, Hospice Volunteer Spotlight, two-time recipient of Zeta Rho Omega Chapter Soror of the Year, Eta Psi Chapter Distinguished Soror, and Murfreesboro NAACP Branch’s Jerry Anderson Hero Award.

Anathia is survived by her husband of sixty years, Fred Beneby and their daughter, Vonshelle Beneby.