From 2000, when my husband and I moved here and began attending Clarke-Venable Baptist Church, we have been aware of the welcoming presence of Mr. Kenneth and Mrs. Beth Chaney. Everyone who enters the front doors of the church will be met by “The Candy Man,” who says, “I like to make people happy!” And Mrs. Beth can be seen every Sunday in the choir.
Kenneth Michael Chaney was born June 27, 1944, in Union, to Ruby Pierce Chaney and Samuel K. Chaney. He continues to live on the same Chapel Hill Road on which he was reared. His sister, Patricia Carol Hollingsworth, now lives in Newton. Growing up, Kenneth said he loved to ride horses around the family farm. His father worked for Walton Brothers Hardware in Decatur for over 20 years before working at La-Z-Boy for a few years.
Elizabeth Lee Gray Chaney was born Jan. 26, 1945, to Marguerite and Shorty Gray, in Newton, and she was reared in Forest, Miss., with one brother Harold Gray, who now lives in Jacksonville, Fla. They lived in town, where Beth’s father owned a shoe shop for about 40 years. Her mother worked for Mitchell’s Jewelry store there.
Young Kenneth graduated from Decatur High School in 1963 then went to Basic Training with the Mississippi National Guard. After doing carpentry work, he began working at La-Z-Boy. Beth had graduated from Forest High School in 1963 and was attending East Central Junior College.
One day, as she crossed the street while walking back to her dorm, Kenneth and his friend, Donald Shealey, were driving by, when Donald said, “I know her!” They stopped and talked a while. Then Sunday afternoon Kenneth ran into Beth and her mother at the movies. They were married June 4, 1965. Kenneth has always appreciated the fact that he was always introduced as their “son” by his in-laws, with Beth’s mother calling him “son John.”
Kenneth worked 40½ years at La-Z-Boy, then after his retirement there, in 2004, he went to work for MDOT, retiring again in 2010. During high school, Beth worked in the other Mitchell’s Jewelry store at Forest. Then came her two years at East Central, with stents at the shirt factory and Wheeler’s Drugs after their marriage, then finally cosmetology school at East Central.
About 1970, Beth had her own beauty shop at their house, then a couple years later, she sold it and worked for Kenneth’s sister Pat four or five years in Union, after which she stayed home with their three children. She then worked several years at Edwards’ department store before becoming a substitute teacher. After Mrs. Jeannette Thrash hired her as an assistant teacher on Oct. 15, 1991, she worked at Newton County Elementary School for 26 years before retiring in 2017.
Their children are Michelle, born Nov. 5, 1966, and Michael Shane, born Jan. 9, 1969. Marian, their third, named after Mrs. Marian Thornton, Music Director at Clarke-Venable at the time, was born Jan. 23, 1976.
Michelle is married to J. R. Addy, and their children are Lily, born in 1996, and Matt, born in 1999. Michelle works at The Added Touch, a florist in Decatur, and is the music director at Grace United Baptist Church. Her husband J.R. is self-employed.
Michael is married to Linda, who works in the Newton County Elementary Cafeteria where their son, Blake, is in the fifth grade. Michael works in the maintenance department at Laird Hospital.
Marian and Carlos Roncali live in Newton, and their boys are Eli, born in 2000, and Lane, born in 2001. Marian takes care of a lady in Newton. Their son, Lane, a sophomore at Newton County High School, has lived with Beth and Kenneth almost four years.
Asking about their “greatest miracle,” I immediately guessed it would involve Lily and Eli, first cousins who were both born with heart conditions. Lily, with Bundle Branch Block condition, stayed at Batson Hospital the first six weeks of her life. At 15 or 16 years old, she had a successful open-heart surgery. Eli, 18, was born with a rapid heart rate; and he has had a defibrillator for about five years. The Chaneys agreed that both children had survived the years before their surgeries, “by the grace of God.”
Speaking of God’s grace, both Kenneth and Beth were saved in Vacation Bible Schools, though at different times in different churches. Beth remembers Mrs. McElhenney at Forest Baptist Church presenting the salvation message and Beth making the decision to accept Christ with her. She was baptized, and has rededicated her life several times since.
At the VBS at Clarke-Venable, in a large group setting, the pastor, Rev. John Cooke, explained the gospel then gave an invitation. That day Kenneth, about 12 or 13, responded by walking up front. Though, ordinarily, he would have never have gone in front of a large group, he told me, “I had no choice! It was almost automatic. It had to have been some kind of divine thing because I would have never been able to go up.” Much later, on July 29, 1977, he wanted to make sure of his salvation, so he rededicated his life and was rebaptized on Aug. 7, 1977.
Kenneth says, “I’m not perfect, but I try to set an example. Let folks see by how you’ll live. Maybe they’ll see something good in you and want to see what it is.”
Beth and Kenneth lived in Forest after their marriage in 1965, then moved to an apartment in Decatur. On Sundays, they would go to Forest to church with Beth’s family. One day, Sarah Taylor, the wife of the pastor of Clarke-Venable, Bro. Howard Taylor, came to visit. Beth, pregnant with their first child at the time, remembered her saying, “If you start going to church now, when this baby is born, you’ll continue coming.” They began attending there and have been active members of CVMBC ever since.
Kenneth has been a chairman of the ushers for many years, sharing the position with his father and Mr. Milton Thornton. Since the passing of Mr. Chaney and Mr. Thornton, Kenneth told me that Mr. Joe Barrett and he do it. At one time, Beth worked with the children’s choir. She has always sung in the choir, and the both of them have been over the nursery thirty or forty years, taking the position after the death of Ms. Lizzie Johnson.
Mrs. Janine Vincent, wife of Clarke-Venable’s pastor, texted me: “Mr. Kenneth, known as the Candyman to generations of CVBC members, and Mrs. Beth, are loved and welcomed through the doors of preschool and children’s classes each Sunday. He also serves in our schools as a WatchD.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students, our safe school initiative) representative; and Mrs. Beth can be found volunteering as well, when she isn’t substituting—both touching lives and making a positive difference among young people.”
I have always appreciated how very joyful and friendly they are, which is why I titled this “A Loving Lady and Her Candy Man!”
You may contact me at lagnesrussell@gmail.com or 601-635-3282.
