Deacon Benny Joe Morant

Benny J. Morant was born to the late Mary and Arthur Morant on August 14th, 1944, in Conway, South Carolina.  He was educated at Plantersville Elementary School, Howard High School and Choppee High School in Georgetown, South Carolina. At an early age he was baptized at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church in Plantersville, South Carolina by Pastor G. Goings Daniels. He attended Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina where he met the love of his life Vernelle Danley. They were married in 1966.

He received his bachelor's degree from the University of the State of New York, and his master's degree in education from National-Louis University, Evanston, Illinois. He was a Laboratory Technician at Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, Manhattan, New York until drafted into United States Army in 1966.

He served in the Vietnam War with II Field Forces Artillery, 25th Aviation Brigade in the year of 1968, returned to the US assigned to 18th Airborne Corps Artillery, Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1969. In September 1969 assigned to United States Army Europe Zirndorf, Germany until September 1971. He was then trained and assigned as Initial Entry Training Drill Sergeant Fort Dix, New Jersey October 1971 until January 1976. In January 1976 assigned as Section Chief and Gunnery Sergeant 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Stanley Korea. In February 1977 he was ordered to the Faculty and Staff of Virginia Military Institute to teach Military Science to Reserve Officers until September 1980. He was then assigned to Fort Sill, Oklahoma to instruct at the Noncommissioned Officers Academy until promoted to First Sergeant Delta Battery, 3d Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Ft. Sill, Oklahoma until 1985.

In March of 1985 he was selected to attend the US Army Sergeants Major Academy, Fort Bliss, Texas. This is a Graduate Level Training Program for executive positions within the Department of Defense. Upon graduation he was promoted to the position of Command Sergeant Major and was once again assigned to US Army Europe as Battalion Command Sergeant Major, 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery (MLRS), Baumholder, Germany. On August 7, 1987, he was further assigned to Command Sergeant Major position at 8th Division Artillery, Baumholder, Germany. In June 1991 he was promoted to the position of Commandant of 1st Armored Division NCO Academy, Baumholder, Germany. He retired from the United States Army in March of 1993 after serving honorably for more than twenty-six years. Military awards include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medals, Army Commendation Medals, Army Achievement Medals, and Good Conduct Medals.

In October of 1993 he started working as a government employee at the Combat Maneuver Training Center as a Fire Support Maneuver Analyst, in Hoenfels, Germany. In 1998 he became supervisor of fire Support Analyst and Feedback, at Combat Maneuver Training Center, Hoenfels, Germany. In 1999 he was sent to Army Management Staff College, Sustaining Base Leadership and Management Program. Upon completion he returned to Germany and was sent to be an Exercise Training Specialist at the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, Exercise Division, Heidelberg, Germany. In January 2003 he was sent to U.S. Joint Forces Command, Joint Futures Laboratory, Suffolk, Virginia, to a position as the Wargaming Experimentation Operations Officer. Benny and Vernelle were relocated to the city of Philadelphia in 2003 and became a member of Thankful Baptist Church. He served in the Deacon Ministry, the Usher Board, and the Male Chorus for a number of years.

Benny is survived by his loving wife of fifty-nine years Vernelle. Two sons, Eric Zachary Morant who lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Benny Alexander Morant who lives in Houston, Texas, with his wife Aimee, has three sons Kal-El, Kyro and Kobe. Brother Charles B. Morant who lives in Jamaica, New York. Sisters Ruthena Ford, Eva Davie and Dorothy Knox, lives in Georgetown, South Carolina. Mary Louise Harrell lives in Ormond Beach, Florida.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Deacon Benny Joe Morant, please visit our floral store.