Early Cunningham Ewing, Jr.

Funeral services for Early Cunningham Ewing, Jr., 92, of Benoit will be at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, February 8, 2014 at Benoit Union Church.  He died at Mississippi Care Center of Greenville, MS on February 5, 2014, after a brief illness. Burial will be in Burrus Cemetery, Benoit under the direction of Boone Funeral Home, Greenville.

Mr. Ewing was born November 30, 1921 in Scott, MS; an alumnus of Benoit High School, he graduated from Mississippi State University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1943.  Afterwards, he served in the Army Air Corps as a B-24 navigator with the 307 Bomber Group of 13th Air Force Squadron in the Pacific Arena.  After the war, he attended Cornell University on the GI Bill and earned a B.S. in Agronomy.   After a position in Stoneville, MS with the Delta Branch Experiment Station, he returned to Scott with Delta & Pine Land Company as a cotton breeder where he spent the majority of his working career, eventually becoming the company’s Vice President of Research.  In his later years he worked for Desert Seed Company, a Division of ARCO.

After leaving Delta & Pine Land Company, he moved to Benoit.  While in Benoit he served two terms as mayor of Benoit and was an instrumental school board member of Ray Brooks School in Benoit for 17 years. 

Mr. Ewing particularly enjoyed working with the Boy Scouts of America for over 50 years serving both Troop 1 in Benoit and later Troop 50 in Greenville.  He was honored with the Silver Beaver Award by the Delta Area Council for his service. 

Mr. Ewing was an active member of the Benoit Methodist Church and the Benoit Lions Club.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Early and Emma Bell Ewing; and a brother, Battle Bell Ewing. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Margaret Patterson Ewing; son, Early Ewing, III (Kay) of Madison, MS; daughter, Jane Ewing Stephens (Lester) of Benoit, MS; brother, Thomas C. Ewing of Benoit, MS; grandsons, Hubbard Stephens, Dudley Stephens, Walter Stephens, Matthew Stephens, and B. Early Ewing, and a number of nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends an hour prior to services at the church.  Memorials may be made to the American Red Cross, Chickasaw Council of the Boy Scouts of America, or the Benoit Union Church.