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Karen Benvenuti Sullivan passed away on Oct. 14, 2024.
She leaves behind her daughter, Tricia Heneghan (Kevin) and son Ted Sullivan (Aileen) and six amazing and beautiful grandchildren, Jack, Will, Kate, Nicholas, Nathan, and Christopher. As well as her beloved friends of almost 80 years.
She loved her family dearly. Her grandchildren were her most prized possession. The tight bond she had with many of her dear friends was a significant part of who Karen was. From camping trips to girl trips to 50 years of Christmas parties, she lived to be with the people that she loved.
“Karen Benvenuti (Bengi to her friends) was a lifelong friend of mine,” said Karen Cheli Sullivan. “We attended Oak Terrace School from kindergarten through 8th grade and then transitioned to HPHS together. Her dad was the Chief of Police in Highwood for many years and served as the crossing guard on the corner of Prairie Ave. and High St. in Highwood. We all loved and trusted him.
“Bengi continued to be a great friend through our adult years. Our children were all the same age, more or less, we made girl trips together with Connie Linari Mordini, Pam Lenzi Robert and Roseann Albert Simpson. She came to my daughter's wedding in St. Simons, Georgia, and because my name is the same as hers (she was Karen B and I am Karen C) it confused the entire hotel staff. We all had a laugh about that.
“Bengi was fun, so organized, so loving and caring, a great mom and a great friend. She will always be Bengi to us and will always be a part of who we are. RIP, dear friend.”
In recent years, Karen Benvenuti lived at Sunrise of Park Ridge, where she received great care in her nine years there. A special thank-you to the team of caregivers and administrators.
Karen was preceded in death by her mother and father, Ted and Frances Benvenuti, her aunts, Josephine Ondracheck and Yolanda Benvenuti and uncle, Bruno Benvenuti. Funeral mass was Oct. 22 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Glenview.
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Connie Linari (Mordini)
Ditto to everything that my dearest and oldest friend, Karen Cheli Sullivan, said about our friend, Bengi. Even though I didn't attend grade school with Bengi, we became friends because we all grew up in Highwood and knew each other's families. Bengi and I became even closer when we both worked at Zesto during the summers. That friendship continued throughout our lives. Our families shared many memorable times together cutting down Christmas trees, stringing popcorn, decorating cookies, celebrating momentous occasions and holidays, and camping at various parks in Wisconsin. One year, on our way to Disney World, Pam, Bengi, and I and our families met at Karen C's home in Atlanta and camped in her front yard-all organized by Bengi. She was also the orgainzer for many of our "girl" trips and made sure that we all knew what our schedules were.
Bengi had a friendliness, presence, style, and grace about her that made her shine. When she was in the nursing home she managed to know everyone there, staff and residents. She would introduce us to them when we went to see her, and It was easy to see that they truly admired and cared for her.
We were truly blessed to have Bengi as a friend and miss her terribly.
Rosalie Ward (Delaney Neuwirth)
Such beautiful tributes to Karen (Benji) posted by Connie and Karen. You've expressed the joys of life-long friendship. This speaks to many of your classmates and the connections we keep. Thank you. Delaney.