Geraldine "Gerri" Pennington

Geraldine “Gerri” Pennington, from Benton, AR, went home to bask in the arms of an Awesome God on March 1, 2026. Geraldine was born on October 19, 1933, in Higginson, Arkansas, to Sherman Thomas and Hattie Bell Chamblee.

Geraldine loved her family and her church family with her whole heart. She spent as much of her free time with her children and grandchildren as she could. Loving God above all else and with her wealth of knowledge of the bible, she consistently mentored her family in God's teachings. She was an actively involved member of Gospel Light Baptist Church in Benton, and as a Christian, she served as a Sunday School teacher for over 40 years. Geraldine embodied Christ, leaving every place better than she found it.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Marshall Pennington, her daughter Pamla Beaty, two great-grandsons Tristen Myers and Colton Myers, her sister LaVerne Wheeler, her twin brother Alfred “Sonny” Chamblee, her brother Ernest Chamblee, her brother David Chamblee, her mother-in-law Verna Pennington, and father-in-law Ollie Pennington.

She is survived by her son Carl Sullivan and wife Dang Sullivan of Benton, granddaughters Thida Lopez(John) of Caldwell, Idaho, Nova Plaisance(Jerome) of Benton, grandsons Ton Jinakom (Mai) of Lang Suan, Thailand, Tu Sullivan(Ann) and Sean Beaty of Benton, her sister-in-law Betty Poltack of Benton, 15 great-grandchildren and 2 great, great-grandsons, along with numerous nieces and nephews, and many other loved ones.

Services will be held at Smith Benton Funeral Home, 322 N. Market St., Benton, Arkansas, with visitation on Thursday, March 5, 2026, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The funeral service will follow on Friday, March 6, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., presided over by Reverend Eddie Kitchens. Interment will take place at Old Union Cemetery in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, at 1:00 p.m.