Kelley A. Benya

Kelley A Benya, 60, of Kalamazoo, formerly of St. Joseph, died, Wednesday, February 7, 2007, at home. A Mass of the Resurrection will be held at 10:00 A.M., Saturday, February 24, 2007, at St. Augustine Cathedral, 542 West Michigan Ave., Kalamazoo, MI. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Kelley’s name to the Humane Society of Southwestern Michigan, the American Heart Association, or St Augustine Cathedral. Arrangements are entrusted to Kerley-Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, St. Joseph, MI. Those wishing to send a condolence message or share a memory online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com Kelley was born March 19, 1946, one of 4 children of Jacob and Rita (Stephens) Benya. Birth dates and dates of death are not important; it is the life between the dates that is special. Kelley was SPECIAL. Kelley was a member of St. Augustine Cathedral. She graduated from St. Joseph Catholic High School in 1964, attended CMU from 1964-1967, and in 1968, graduated from WMU. Following graduation, Gobles Public Schools hired Kelley as a Physical Education teacher in 1968. She was a pioneer in women’s athletics at Gobles, launching the basketball, softball, and volleyball programs in 1969. Not only did she coach ten district champions in both basketball and softball, but she also won S.A.C. softball and volleyball title, coached S.A.C. All Sports Champions 1974-75 and 1979-80. She was also the Boys Basketball and Football statistician, 1972 – present; and in 1991 was even inducted into the Gobles Athletic Hall of Fame. Kelly adopted the Gobles School community as her second family and was with them through good times and bad; from disappointing losses to unbelievable victories. Kelley was a great teacher, friend, and coach. Her presence in the fields, gyms and halls of Gobles School will always be with them like the spirit of a guardian angel. Kelley is survived by brothers Charles Benya of St. Joseph, and John Benya of Baroda, sisters-in-law, Sandy Fenderbosch of St. Joseph, and Fran Benya of Ohio. She leaves behind many nieces, nephews, god-children, and a host of relatives and beloved friends whose lives she touched. Kelley is also survived by four women, Tammy (Ampey) Hasbrouck, Janice (Evans) Baker, Janet (Koehn) Lofts and Lori (Sunlin) Brooks, who have considered Kelley not only to have been their high school coach, but mentor, very close friend, confidant, and a very treasured part of all their families. She is also survived by a very special young girl, Reva Hasbrouck; and lastly, Tytan, who was her “baby”. She is preceded in death by her parents, Jacob and Rita and her brother James.