Nerita Benedict

Nerita Mae Benedict, 88, passed into the arms of her Savior Wednesday, June 17, 2026 in Traverse City, Michigan. Nerita was born June 22, 1937 to Lewis and Dona (Eastway) Cooper in Hartwick Township, Michigan as the second of four children.

Energetic and industrious, she started work at age nine, picking green beans, giving perms, keeping books and never letting the grass grow under her feet. Later in life, she would regale her children and grandchildren with stories of taking tickets at a movie theater for 25 cents each.

In 1958, she married Jack Benedict. Willing to speak her mind and always up for fun, she formed, with Jack, a true team. He was a planner and diligent in family, business and life, and she was a confidant, friend, sounding board and source of strength. Together, they built a life.

For years, she hosted her neighbors, friends and children’s friends in their Big Rapids home, becoming a second home to many. She loved her bridge ladies, special friends, and costume parties. She organized social events, played tennis, skied, and shared early morning walks.

Even into her last years, she had an effortless but keen sense of style and a talent for learning a stranger’s life story in just a few minutes. Everywhere she went she made friends.

To her grandchildren, she was “Nana” or sometimes “Grandma”. In their minds, she will forever be inextricably intertwined with the blue of Lake Michigan and the purple-orange blaze of the sun setting over the Arizona mountains—two places she loved.

Her memory is captured in 100 long summer weekends with family in Northern Michigan, the sound of the waffle maker going off first thing in the morning, iced tea, parades, fireworks, and late-night card games. She was expert at converting hard work into joy for the people she cared about. She formed for her family the very structure and definition of home.

She is preceded in death by her dear husband, Jack, and survived by her sister, Linda (Gary) Reed, and many special nieces and nephews, her son, Tom (Marian) Benedict, her daughters, Jill (Ron) Aye and Kelle (Brad) Snavely, her grandchildren, Christopher (Ashley), Katherine (Andrew), Callan (Alli), Lauren (Kyle), Sara (Ryan), Jonathan (Erin), Christine (Daniel), Matthew (Cassandra), Sophia and Josiah, and her great-grandchildren, Gabriel, Leland, Lillian, Benedict, Callan Jr., Emerson, Hudson, Liesel, Henry, Archie, Crew, Dolly, Beau and Lukas. Also a very special nephew, Mark Ryan and niece, Carolyn Holmes.