Mary K. was born December 7, 1931 in Lawrenceville, Illinois, the daughter of William Glenn and Marjorie Jessie (Gray) Smith. She was preceded in death by two sisters, Glenna Evelyn Smith and Margaret Ann Whitmer, as well as her parents.
Mary K. grew up in rural Denison Township south of Lawrenceville and attended the Buchanan School through 8th grade then Lawrenceville High School. In her 60’s, she returned to school, studying French at Vincennes University. She married John McBride Ashbrook in 1949 and later married Philip B. Benefiel in 1958.
In addition to raising five children, Mary K. wore many hats. She was a nanny to a professor at the University of Illinois in the early 1950s; did office work for the Lawrence County States Attorney (also her future husband); sold fashion wear and accessories at Delzell’s, owned by her dearest friend Ayrol Ann Gibson; founded, with her husband, the not-for-profit agency Cra-Wa-La/Volunteers in Probation; co-owned and operated Oil Field Lease Management Company with Herman and Frances Brinkley; managed the offices of Herman Loeb Oil and Gas with Herman and Ed Loeb; spent one week each summer at Camp Na-Wa-Kwa at McCormick’s Creek State Park with the Lawrenceville Camp Fire Girls; and served 3 terms on the Unit 20 School Board.
In her spare time, created by being constantly on the move, Mary K. enjoyed traveling with Philip, particularly to southern France and northern California, and spent many summers hosting grandchildren at their homes on Lincoln Drive and later 17th Street in Lawrenceville. There she also maintained beautiful gardens; cultivated orchids; chased pets of all species; knitted blankets, sweaters, socks, gloves, and hats; sewed outfits for school and dances and evenings out; needle-pointed pillows and Christmas stockings; and cooked everything from elegant French cuisine to biscuits and gravy to cakes – lots and lots of cakes.
Mary K. is survived by her husband, Philip Benefiel; five beloved children and their partners, John Mark and Jan Morrison Ashbrook of Maryville, Matt and Nadine Ashbrook of Monee, Ann Claire Benefiel and Joseph Kunkel of Champaign, Philip Ross and Trudy Benefiel of Mt. Carmel, and Daniel Benefiel of Morgan Hill, California; 11 cherished grandchildren and their partners, Jonathan and Kimberly Ashbrook of Homer, Nicholas and Grace Ashbrook of Dubuque, Iowa, Chelsea and Don McCarthy of Lincoln Park, Joshua Stevenson of Mt. Carmel, Matthew Scott Ashbrook of St. Petersburg, Florida, Ian Kunkel and Corinn Waltz of Urbana, Alex Kunkel and Taylor Bowen of Tampa, Florida, Dylan Benefiel of Mt. Carmel, Jesse Benefiel of Arcada, California, Anthony Glenn Kunkel of Champaign, and Sophia Claire Benefiel of Morgan Hill, California; and the most precious babies of all, great-grandchildren Ethan, Owen, Aidan and Atticus Ashbrook of Homer; Caleb and Katelyn Stevenson of Mt. Carmel; Brody, Holden and Jensen Ashbrook of Dubuque; and Brenden and Jackson McCarthy of Lincoln Park. She also leaves her lifelong BFF, Ayrol Ann Gibson, three faithful caregivers Taiwan Lee, Pamela Martin, and Linda Ford, and many close friends from a life well-lived.
There will be a visitation with the family at Emmons-Macey-Steffey Funeral Home in Lawrenceville, Illinois on Friday, May 5, 2017 from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM CST. In lieu of a funeral, the family will host a party in Mary K.’s memory at The Barn in Lawrenceville this summer. Like her adventurous soul, Mary K’s physical remains will be traveling to San Francisco, Italy and France in the upcoming years, but some will remain in Illinois to rest with her life partner and husband Philip. Donations in Mary K’s memory may be made to Unit 20 Schools in support of their music and band programs, Cra-Wa-La/Volunteers in Probation, or Daily Bread Soup Kitchen of Champaign-Urbana.