Edward Benn, Jr.

Edward Benn, Jr. was born on March 24, 1984 in Wilmington, Delaware to Edward Benn, Sr and Marsha Hollis. Edward entered eternal peace on December 30, 2024.

Eddie, as he was affectionately called, was raised by his father, Edward Benn, Sr. and mother, Rose Benn with a notable contribution from Irene Trader in his earliest years. 

Eddie received his early education in the Colonial School District and attended William Penn High School. His strong love for animals led him to gain employment with Faithful Friends Animal Society and was most recently employed with FedEx. 

Eddie was joined in Holy Matrimony to Jennifer Russell on October 10, 2015. 

Eddie was an avid San Francisco 49ers fan from an early age and remained a devout supporter as an adult. Eddie enjoyed many hobbies including gardening and working with and raising various animals. He was well known for his green thumb. Eddie sprouted, grew, and repotted countless types of plants and vegetables, and often gave advice on how to properly care for and maintain them. Eddie even started and produced a successful pumpkin patch in his yard one year. When Eddie wasn’t tending to his plants, he was caring for his animals. His love for animals spans from his early childhood owning turtles, gerbils, a chinchilla, and was known for finding and bringing home dogs he would find in the neighborhood. As an adult, Eddie owned a wide variety of pets such as snakes, iguanas, rabbits, and several dogs that he could never resist showing off and talking about to anyone who expressed interest. 

Eddie’s high energy contributed to his successes as a star athlete. He played football as a wide-receiver for the undefeated and two-time championship winning New Castle Bulldogs. Eddie furthered his athletic career through track and field as a member of Our Lady of Fatima and the renowned Wilmington Track Club dominating in the open 400 meters and the Long Jump events. With these teams, Eddie successfully participated in the Junior Olympics and ran in the Penn Relays as a part of the 4x1 relay team many times. Eddie’s track and field career culminated with countless medals, trophies, and MVP awards. 

Edward was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Stewart and Elma Louise Benns, maternal grandparents, William “Bill” and Adelaide Hollis; and grandmother, Caridad “Mimi” Fernandez and uncle, Bernard “Qantas” Benn.

Edward leaves to cherish his memory his wife, Jennifer Benn; children Karryne Santiago (Enoch) and Edward Benn; parents, Edward and Rose Benn; siblings Coriesha Chestnutt (Rodrick), Steven Cole, and Amanda Howell (Brandan); uncles, Stewart “Buddy” (Sherry), Donald Benn, and William Hollis, Jr.; god-Father, Reverend Terry DuPont; in-laws Andrea and Charles Russell, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other family and friends.