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Obituary for Benton E. Cain
Benton Edmund Cain Jackson, MS
Benton Edmund Cain, of Jackson, MS, died October 9, 2018. Born in Brookhaven, MS on December 28, 1924, Mr. Cain was the son of the late Samuel Benton Cain and Eddie Estelle Thompson Cain.
“Jake”, as he was often called by his relatives, was raised in a depression era household comprised of 14 family and friends. Any extra funds were usually spent on music lessons, and Ben became very accomplished at both the piano and clarinet. He graduated from Brookhaven High School in 1942, where he was voted Best All Around Boy and President of the Senior Class.
Ben received a music scholarship to LSU, but his time there was interrupted in 1943 when he joined the Army. He served two years in the European theater during World War II, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant, playing clarinet in the Army band and participating in the Battle of the Bulge. Immediately after the war, he studied clarinet at the Royal Academy of Music in Glasgow, Scotland.
When he returned home, he reenrolled at LSU, graduating in 1949 with a B.S. in electrical engineering. While there, he met Lucy Lorene Thornton, who decided to forego a piano scholarship to Julliard in order to marry Ben in 1947.
Upon graduation, he began work at the Neshoba Democrat newspaper in Philadelphia, MS. In 1952, he moved to Jackson to start Democrat Printing Company with his father-in-law, Duke Thornton, and also Cain Lithographers, Inc., the printing company that would become his primary occupation for the next four decades. That company thrived and became a fixture of the Mississippi printing industry.
Meanwhile, Ben and Lorene built a family of four children and became well known figures in the Jackson music community. They were widely known for their extraordinary piano duos, including the Carnival of the Animals performed with the Jackson Symphony. Ben continued his music until very late in life, playing clarinet in the Mississippi Community Symphonic Band until the age of 90.
Mr. Cain was active in the Jackson civic community. He served as President or Board Chair of the Jackson Symphony Orchestra Board, the Mississippi Opera Board, the Mississippi Economic Council, the North Jackson Kiwanis Club and the LSU Alumni Association of Mississippi. He was a Deacon at First Baptist Church, and a member of River Hills Country Club.
Mr. Cain is survived by his children: Lucy Cain Hargis of Houston, TX; Duke Edmund Cain (Susan) and Michael Benton Cain (Becky), both of Jackson, MS; and Mary Alicia Cain DeLoache (Bill) of Nashville, TN; and by seven grandchildren: Dustin Cain, Russell Cain (Jenny), Mary Olivia Macgowan, Billy Hargis, Ben DeLoache, Will DeLoache (Kate), and Duke DeLoache; and by six great grandchildren: Zoie and Ann Clayton Cain; Meelan, Brennon and Aaron Cain; and Lucas DeLoache. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his wife, Lucy Lorene Thornton Cain, and by his four sisters: Mary Estelle Cain Brown, Dorothy Cain Franklin, Mildred Cain Prestridge and Kathryn Janice Cain Boyd. . A memorial service will be held in the chapel at First Baptist Church in Jackson on Saturday, October 20, 2018, at 1:00 PM, preceded by visitation at Noon. Interment will follow at Lakewood Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Mississippi Community Symphonic Band or to the charity of your choice. https://www.mcsb.us/Contributions.html
Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.sebrellfuneralhome.com
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