C.E. Benefield thrived putting in lots of hours at his real estate business. He kept at it all his adult life, and it kept him going into his mid-90s.
"Dad would drive to our office in Decatur and put in nearly a full day every day during the work week -- that is, until about two years ago when he stopped driving at age 94," said his son and Benefield Realty partner, Dan Benefield. "But even after that, I'd pick him up most days and take him to the office for a few hours."
Client satisfaction was all-important to Mr. Benefield. "Dad's goal was to make each transaction a win-win situation for everyone involved," his son said.
Clarence Eugene Benefield, 96, of Decatur died of respiratory failure Thursday at his son's home in Tucker. The funeral will be at 3 p.m. Sunday at First Baptist Church of Decatur with interment afterward at Resthaven Gardens of Memory. A.S. Turner & Son funeral home is in charge of arrangements.
During the 1950s and '60s, Mr. Benefield was involved in the development of numerous subdivisions, among them: Amherst Forest, Colony East, Flintridge Forest and Hidden Valley in DeKalb County; Heather Lynne and Botany Woods in Clayton; Indian Ridge and Savory Acres in Rockdale; and Sheffield Forest and Glen Forest in Gwinnett.
It was during that period Mr. Benefield developed a close relationship with business lender Starnes & Associates. Its president, Jim Starnes, now retired and living in Stone Mountain, said his firm often loaned Mr. Benefield money to acquire property and build houses.
"He was such an honorable and trustworthy client. I had complete faith in him," Mr. Starnes said. "For deals involving millions of dollars worth of credit, all I needed was his handshake."
The recession of 1973-74 caused Mr. Benefield to change course. "Credit dried up while we were in the midst of developing 17 subdivisions, and afterward Dad decided to refocus our business on resales," his son said.
As for the current prolonged real estate slump, Mr. Benefield told his son recently he had never seen anything like it -- especially the astronomical number of foreclosures. But Mr. Benefield had already become an active investor in that sector years before.
For the past 10 years Mr. Benefield and Jeff Campbell of Duluth joined in buying foreclosed properties, fixing them up and either selling them or renting them.
Mr. Benefield was a great landlord, Mr. Campbell added. "He always treated his tenants with respect and was willing to work with them when they encountered problems."
For his part, Mr. Campbell said he counted on Mr. Benefield for his wise counsel. "He was a man of great integrity," he said.
Mr. Benefield was born and reared in the Atlanta area and attended Georgia Tech. During World War II, he worked at the Charleston Navy Yard in South Carolina, building naval vessels.
Mr. Benefield's after-work pleasures were gardening and fishing, the latter pastime on his getaway property in Henry County and on friends' farm ponds.
Survivors also include his wife, Caroline Benefield; a daughter, Charlotte Lough of Placitas, N.M.; two stepdaughters, Susan Settle of Alpharetta and Ellen McBrayer of Atlanta; two sisters, Ruby Patterson of Jackson and Marjorie Purdy of Seneca, S.C.; seven grandchildren; five stepgrandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and three stepgreat-grandchildren.
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