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Petty, PhD, Benjamin Aby

April 15, 1921 –
 October 10, 2018

Obituary

Dr. Benjamin Aby Petty Ph.D. passed into the arms of the lord on October 10, 2018. He was 97. Dr. Petty’s final moments were accompanied by grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was Chairman Emeritus of the Philosophy Department at SMU, where he taught for 58 years. Dr. Petty was born April 15, 1921 to Maurice F. Petty and Myrtle Aby Petty in New Orleans, LA. Dr. Petty attended New Orleans public schools. He graduated from McMain HS, which his father’s company had built. He graduated with Honors from Tulane University with a BA in English and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He married Mary Ent Pearce, an Honors Graduate from Sophie Newcomb at age 18. Dr. Petty graduated from Emory University with Honors with a Masters of Divinity and was ordained as a Methodist Minister. While he was attending Emory, he was the Minister to several rural churches in Georgia. His studies next took him to Boston University where he earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy. While in Boston, he was the Minister at 2 churches and lived in the basement of a church with his wife and new born son. After completing his studies in Boston, he returned to New Orleans as Assistant Minister at Rayne Memorial Methodist Church on St. Charles Avenue. But his love was to teach. In 1953 he was hired by Southern Methodist University to teach in the Religion Department. Over the years he taught Religion, Philosophy, Nature of Man, Ethics, and in the Masters of Liberal Arts (MLA) program. He taught for 58 years at SMU, teaching his last class and retiring at 91! He also taught a Sunday School Class at University Park United Methodist Church for over 50 years. Dr. Petty was the longest serving professor at SMU and was honored to lead Graduation Commencement for many years. He was awarded many awards and honors over the years and he most praised awards from students. He served as Secretary Treasurer for the American Association of University Professors and President for 25 years. He also was Secretary Treasurer and President of Phi Beta Kappa for 16 years, as well as serving on the SMU Pre-Med Recommendation Committee for 33 years. Dr. Petty is survived by a son, Benjamin P. Petty and his wife, Carolyn; a daughter Ann Petty, 6 grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren.   A Memorial Service will be held at University Park United Methodist Church on November 7th at 3:00 pm. Refreshments will follow the celebration of his life in Fellowship Hall. Interment will be at a later date in the Aby tomb in New Orleans, where his parents and relatives are interned.   Arrangements under the direction of: ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75252 214 306 6700

    John A. Hall
    31 Oct 2018
    2:13am

    I have fond memories of working with Ben at SMU. He was an outstanding university citizen who cared a great deal for our students and their success. Deepest sympathies and heartfelt prayers to his family.

    Samantha Cavanaugh
    1 Nov 2018
    3:37pm

    I thoroughly enjoyed my classes with Dr. Petty. He had such a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. I will always cherish my memories of him and our class discussions, both in and outside of the classroom. He will be missed by many, but I know he is now reunited with his wife, whom he spoke of with loving memories. My sympathy and respect to his family in this time of loss.

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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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