Virginia Benton Hyde, 89, of 173 Moreland Heights, Murphy died Friday, December 24, 2004 at her residence. A native of Cornelia, GA, but she had lived in Murphy since 1937. She was the daughter of the late Selby M. and Mae Savage Benton, and the wife of the late Edwin Hyde who died June 7, 1997. She was a 1937 graduate of the University of Georgia in Athens. Virginia was employed by the Cherokee County Board of Education as a Murphy High School teacher for a number of years and also was a supervisor of Hyde Insurance Agency for 20 years. She was a member of the Kappa Delta National Sorority and the Murphy First Baptist Church where she had taught Sunday school for 26 years.

Surviving are two daughters, Rosalie Hyde Kephart of Murphy and Peggy Hyde of Murphy; three brothers, Selby G. Benton, Sr. of Warrenton, NC, Walter G. Benton of Tarboro, NC, and Robert C. Benton of Cornelia, GA, and a grandson, Edwin Kephart of Murphy.

Funeral services were held at 2:00 PM Tuesday, Dec. 28 in the Chapel of the Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy with Dr. Woodrow Busch officiating. Burial was in the Sunset Cemetery. Nephews served as pallbearers.

The family received friends from 12:00-1:45 Tuesday at the Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy prior to the services.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made as a personal kindness done for someone of one’s choice, or to the Good Shepherd Home Health and Hospice Agency, P.O. Box 465, Hayesville, NC 28904, or the Murphy First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 7, Murphy, NC 28906.

Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy in charge of arrangements.