Obituary ~ Mackie Turner Bienvenu

A memorial service is planned in Duluth on Saturday, Feb. 11, for Mackie Turner Bienvenu, 98, who died Jan. 1. A former resident of Duluth, Mackie moved to Provo, UT, in 2002. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Grandison Kemp “Ben” Bienvenu, who died in 1999 in Atlanta. Her remains will be buried beside her husband.

Mackie was born Sept. 10, 1913, in DeRidder, LA, to Lorena McMahon Turner and Speare Owen Turner, MD. She attended Southwestern Louisiana University, where she earned a teacher’s certificate. She furthered her education at Louisiana State University, graduating in 1934. During her university years she was an accomplished dancer, pianist, and a member of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority.

After teaching high school at a small country school in Louisiana, she moved to Baton Rouge where she worked in the new state capital with the Department of Revenue. That is where she met Ben, who was studying engineering at LSU.

Ben and Mackie married on June 7, 1941. Ben was called into the U.S. Army just six months after they wed and served overseas, including the Normandy invasion on D-Day, until November 1945. After the war they moved to DeRidder, where Ben worked at a chemical plant, and Mackie was a substitute teacher, homemaker, and mother to their daughter Sherron.

Mackie was an ardent gardener and earned recognition for her excellence in flower arranging. She became an accomplished painter and was active in civic functions throughout her life.  She and Ben were active members of the Methodist church in both DeRidder and Duluth. She had many friends and a rich and fulfilling life. She was truly an educated, sophisticated lady of the southern tradition.

She is survived by her daughter Sherron Bienvenu, her granddaughter Hillary Carter, and great-grandson Owen Elias Carter.

Her memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Feb. 11 at White Chapel Memorial Gardens, 1832 Pleasant Hill Road. The service will be graveside unless the weather requires it be moved into the chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to charities of the donor’s choice in her honor. Mackie was particularly supportive of veterans groups and her local churches.