Martha Esther Bennington

Martha Esther Bennington (Faber) went home to be with her Lord on Wednesday, January 8th, 2025, with her daughter Beverly at her side. Martha was the beloved wife of the late Richard Talmadge Bennington who passed away on December 17, 2000, after 49 years of marriage. Martha was born in Colfax, West Virginia, to the late William Russel and Emma Earl Faber (Blare). She graduated from Fairmont Senior High School, Fairmont, West Virginia, class of 1948, and later attended Tabernacle Bible College, earning a degree in Child Evangelism. In 1951, Martha and Richard were married at Grace Tabernacle in Fairmont, West Virginia. They traveled with The Reverend Berle Sessions and The Southern Gospel Group, The Voice of the Hills, singing until 1953, when Martha paused to have their first child. Richard continued singing with the group until 1963, when the family, now with four daughters, moved to Harleysville, Pennsylvania. Martha worked at Ford Electronics until her retirement after 30 years of service. She was a dedicated member of Faith Bible Fellowship Church, Harleysville, Pennsylvania since 1963. For 25 years, Martha and Richard served as superintendents of the preschool children's class, teaching and singing. The family, known as The Bennington Family Gospel Singers, also traveled to various churches, singing Southern Gospel music. Martha enjoyed gardening, jigsaw and crossword puzzles, and volunteering at Generations in Souderton for over 20 years. During this time, she and three other seniors were the first recipients of the Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Year award, presented by Governor Tom Ridge. Martha is survived by her daughters Brenda Duckworth (Brian), Beverly Bennington, Darlene Lacertosa (Rocco), and Patty Hogan (Stephen). In addition to her daughters, she is also survived by her grandchildren Brian Duckworth Jr. (Nicole), Brandilyn Begin (James), Bethany Duckworth, Christopher Ott, Stephanie Woodlief, Melody Nyce and her partner Rudy Trifun, Troy Chapman (Kate), Amy Hogan, Timothy Hogan (Alon), Andrew Hogan, and David Hogan. Martha is also survived by her 17 great grandchildren, Ava, Vanessa, Brandon, Caleb, Noah, Magnolia, Mackenzie, Riley, Jacob, Zachary, Bristol, Anna, Ryan, Emma, Emerson, Ezra, Elijah and his mother Veronica, and one great great grandson Grayson. In addition to her husband, Martha was preceded in death by her brothers Billy, Paul and Dolan, and sisters Katherine, Edith, Lavona, Frances and Anna. Visitation will be at 1:00 pm, followed by the memorial service at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, January 14th, 2025, at the Williams-Bergey-Koffel Funeral Home, 667 Harleysville Pike, Telford, PA 18969. The interment will be held at a later date.