Bennie's Obituary

Bennie Irene Allen Garner (Polly) born Sept 6, 1926, went to be with her Lord on August 3, 2025. She is survived by her son Doug Garner and wife Tammy, granddaughters Jamie Droke (Andy) and Jennifer Wiles (Matt) and great grandchildren Henry Droke, Emma Grace Droke, Hannah Wiles and Jacob Wiles. She was predeceased by her husband Mitchell Garner of 57 years, her parents Ernest and Hautie Allen and siblings Allene Marrs, Charles Allen, Vernon Allen, Jim Allen, Granville Allen, Susie Baker and Patsy Terry. Polly was born in Humboldt Tenn and was the 4th of 8 children. She moved to Memphis in the late 1940s and worked at Firestone Tire and Rubber Company and retired from Memphis Lamp Plant in 1988 after over 30 years of service. She was a member of Richland Baptist Church in Memphis for over 25 years where she taught 3-year-old Sunday School classes for most of those years. She and her husband moved to Humboldt in 1988 where they were members of Antioch Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Humboldt. She and her husband moved to Oakland Tenn in 2008 where they were members of First Baptist Church of Oakland until she moved to the Heritage at Irene Woods in 2015. She loved spending time with her family and was a caregiver to anyone who needed her help. She also loved vacationing in Florida with Mitchell for many years. The family would like to thank the staff and care givers at The Heritage, Jordan River, Hope Hospice and Unity Health Care for all their incredible services provided in the last years of her wonderful life. The family requests that instead of flowers honoring Polly, a donation be made in her memory to The Alzheimer's Association, The Dementia Society of America, or the charity of your choice. She will be greatly missed by all her family and many friends. Other memories: Polly could be characterized as a loving caregiver in the role of a daughter, sibling, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt and friend. All her friends and family members witnessed, at some point, her providing care to her parents, siblings, husband, in-laws, son, grandchildren and anyone else that was ill or struggling. She was an incredibly hard worker and as tough as they come. She talked about picking cotton and peas, cutting cabbage and tying up tomatoes when she worked on her parent's farm as a young girl. She always told everyone, "I'm just an old country girl". Mitchell said she was "as tough as a plow mule" and she took that as a compliment. She dropped out of high school during the 10th grade so she could go to work and help support her family. She lied about her age to get a job at the Milan arsenal before she turned 18 and stalled as her boss constantly requested her birth certificate and finally gave it to him after she had her 18th birthday. After settling in Memphis, she worked at Firestone for a few years then began a 30-year career at Memphis Lamp Plant making and inspecting light bulbs. She got up at 4:30 every morning to cook a full breakfast for Mitchell and Doug. She worked in an area where there were open flames used to produce light bulbs. The heat in the summer must have been incredible but she never complained. She was a great cook and loved cooking for anyone who visited. She always took dishes to anyone's house that she visited. It was guaranteed that you would not be hungry. She loved being around people and If you got close enough to her you experienced her grabbing your arm or hand and holding it tight for several minutes. This was affectionately known as the "Polly Grip" and you knew it when you experienced it. She loved her family and talked about them all the time. All the staff and caregivers at The Heritage could tell you the names of all of her siblings. But most of all she loved the Lord and served Him as long as she was able to do so. Her faith was always strong, and she could quote Bible verses and sing every word of the old Hymns up until the end. She taught Sunday School classes until she was in her 60s. She was at church every time the doors opened, Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night and every night of every revival service. After the passing of her husband and all her siblings, and as her health and mind began to fail her, she would ask (out of character for her) "I know we are not supposed to question God, but I just wonder why He is leaving me here?' If she could have seen the impact she had on the Heritage residents, the staff, and all her caregivers she would have known. There wasn't a day that went by that you didn't hear someone say, "We just love Miss Polly" "Miss Polly is so fun to be around", " Miss Polly is so funny". The impact she had on the lives she touched will be around for years to come. Family and friends are invited to the home of Doug and Tammy Garner immediately after the services for fellowship: Address: 1900 Glenbuck Cove N. Germantown, TN 38139 To send a flower arrangement in memory of Bennie Irene "Polly" Garner, please click here to visit our sympathy store.