Good Shepherd Funeral Home
Benny Wayne Ball, 72, of Cave Spring, GA, passed away on Jan 18, 2024, after a
long battle with cancer surrounded by his family in Carrollton, GA. Benny was born on Jan 25, 1951, at McCall Hospital in Rome, GA to Raymond Hill Ball and Sarah Edith Hodges Ball. He was the middle son between Robert Ball and James Ball (deceased), and raised in Kingston, GA, where he often said the newspaper was already yellow by the time it arrived at the house. Benny and James would often fish together in a small boat, until that last M80 landed in the boat instead of the water. He graduated from Model High School (Shannon, GA). As during this time, Benny enjoyed becoming friends with the local police, as they were quite familiar with his GTO and worked at the local cotton mill. After graduation, he attended Coosa Valley Tech to study engineering. Benny's brain was always going improve on something already existing or create something new, whether it worked or not. During high school, Benny met Gwenita Jo Keaton (deceased), who was attending Berry College, and they married shortly after. They had two children, Bryan Ball and Ashlie Ball. Benny raised his children into many outdoor activities that included a lot of fishing and a lot of family time. Benny was a Mechanic in the US Army during Vietnam in the Reserves. He attended basic training at Ft Jackson and was discharged as an E5 in 1976. During this same time, he worked at Bekaert Steel and found his love of all things wire. He next worked for Southwire and later for Florida Wire and Cable. Benny then decided that wire wasn't good enough and to go nuclear with Furmanite, where
he became certified to inspect nuclear plants, which might explain the glow from his bedroom at night. He then went back to his wire addiction with Amercord and moved to Baxley, GA. Benny then decided to put his inventive mind to work and designed a wire drawing machine prototype and started his own business. He also worked
internationally to sell his machine. Since he could now live anywhere, he moved to Shellman's Bluff, GA. There he spent as many days on the water fishing as he did working or traveling. There he also patented "Poogie Beans". Benny eventually moved to "Grandma's Bottoms", close to where Grandma Overby had lived in Cave Springs and worked as a car salesman at several dealerships in Rome, GA. He was so good that customers would follow him from dealership to dealership just to hear his stories. Benny loved life to the fullest and never complained about his cancer. He always kept a positive attitude about his condition. He was a loving son, brother, father,
grandfather, and great-grandfather, and avid fisherman, talented musician, and passionate about cooking and gardening and always scheming of the next big adventure. We love you Dad.
LINKS
Times-Georgian
http://www.times-georgian.com
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