Grace Bennett

On December 6, 1962, Grace was born to Mary and Clyde Priddy in Lahore, Pakistan, where her parents served as missionaries for the Methodist Church. She was the third child after Phil and Isabelle.

The family moved back to Mary’s home in upstate New York and in 1967, her sister Kathy was born. In her youth, she enjoyed summers and family holidays on her grandmother Grace’s dairy farm, picking wild strawberries and playing hide and seek in the hay barn. In 1973, they relocated to Arlington, Texas. As a senior at Arlington High School, she met her future husband, Greg Fields. She completed her bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas at Arlington, working summer jobs to pay for tuition.

In 1987, their son Keith was born. In 1991, Kyle was born. Grace emphasized the importance of school, reading, and the outdoors. She was passionate about children’s literature and she read to her boys on a nightly basis. She kept up with the Caldecott award-winning books and engaged her boys by asking questions and pointing out details in the illustrations. She worked at the local elementary school library for years, sharing her enthusiasm for reading with as many children as she could. The family and cousins explored many Texas state parks and spent weekends at a family property on the Brazos River, where they still go to cherish the Texas landscape, wildlife, and the memory of Grace’s late brother, Phil.

In 2013, Grace married Bryan Bennett, and has since lived in Cross Plains, Texas on the Bennett family farm. The size of her family and her friendships doubled as they learned of her kindness, character, and heart. Even while facing a difficult and demoralizing illness, her faith in God was strong and never wavered. Grace was a member of First Methodist Church in Cross Plains. Grace and Bryan loved to listen to Texas country music and tend to their many plants, animals, and grandbabies. In 2021, Grace and Bryan opened Phil’s Bunkhouse, named for her late brother Phil, and Bryan’s late cousin Phil. Grace enjoyed managing the guests and furnishing and decorating the bunkhouse in her own welcoming style with crosses, Texas and American flags, and books.

Grace was known and will be known as Grandma Grace to her grandsons Pierson and Sawyer, and Grammy to Karsyn, Aiden, Ella, Carter, Bennett, Hannah and Leighton.

Grace is survived by her husband, Bryan, her son Keith and his fiancée Adrienne Breaux, her son Kyle and wife Lauren Fields, her daughters Ashley and her husband Scott, Dayna, Emma and Kelli, her mother-in-law, mother-in-law Carol Bennett, her sisters Isabelle and Kathy Priddy, sister-in-law Helen Priddy, her nieces Robyn and Leah Priddy, Jenna Wygal and Kelly Catalfamo, her cousins Katherine Barkley, Shawn Priddy, and Strone Priddy.


In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Cross Plains Public Library.