Jody Ann Benny

Jody Ann Benny Waschek, age 51, of Pierz, passed away unexpectedly in a roll over car accident on Sunday, July 13, 2025 in Wheaton, MN. She was born to Duwayne and Sandra (Bares) Waschek on November 17, 1973 in St. Cloud, MN. The day she died she was on her way to paint and put in a garden at a house. She almost made it to her destination. She was happy and in good, happy spirits.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the families Go Fund Me Page:  https://gofund.me/bf0fcd89 

Jody Ann Benny Waschek, age 51, of Pierz, passed away unexpectedly in a roll over car accident on Sunday, July 13, 2025 in Wheaton, MN. She was born to Duwayne and Sandra (Bares) Waschek on November 17, 1973 in St. Cloud, MN. The day she died she was on her way to paint and put in a garden at a house. She almost made it to her destination. She was happy and in good, happy spirits.

A celebration of Jody’s life will be held on September 13, 2025 at Wilson Park in St. Cloud from 4:30 pm - 10 pm. Wearing Purple would be a wonderful tribute.

Jody had a big heart and a happy spirit. She loved her family and helping others. Jody never met a stranger she didn’t want to help and always lit up a room with her friendly smile. In her free time, she enjoyed gardening, cooking, couponing, going for drives, fishing, and going penny shopping with her brother, Joshua.

In the summer Jody always loved to buy things from garage sales and visiting greenhouses. She loved flowers and Tweety Bird. Her favorite color was purple and loved Chinese food. One memory she had was singing the song “Gloria” with her daughter Kayla in their vehicle. She loved to sing and dance and be goofy. She was Kayla’s everything.

Also, in her spare time she would help and care for her parents in assisted living, taking her mom grocery shopping, making sure they had everything they needed.

One of the things she did to help people was to work in soup kitchens, feeding the homeless. She would give her last dime to help anyone in need. She was very involved in the Salvation Army. She was the one you could always go to and never be judged back.

Everyone she met knew how kindhearted she was. As her daughter Kayla always said, she was full of life, full of dreams, full of love. She loved purple, blue dresses, blankets and flowers.

She really loved watching shows like Duck Dynasty, Criminal Minds, Hoarder Houses and Pawn Stars. She loved all different kinds of shows. She liked to organize all her things in bins and to keep things separated from each other. She had a little OCD and wanted things in certain ways to keep everything organized.

Her mom called her Jobell when she was younger. They had a farm in Foley, MN. She had a horse named Tootsie. She loved the outdoors and she always wanted a farm and land of her own to have chickens, horses, huge gardens with beautiful flowers and lots of vegetables. She had big, beautiful dreams that she wanted to come to life.

Jody had a very outgoing and unique personality in her early years. She was a CNA for nursing homes. She was a hardworking, caring, loving woman who had very little in life but she made the most of what she did have. She made two amazing children whom she loved and cared for. She was very proud of them for every accomplishment they did.

When she lived in Little Falls, MN, she had a huge garden full of flowers, vegetables and huge sunflowers. She loved to cook and bake for her family. She faced a lot of challenges in her life but she stood right back up after all of them and kept trying, even when things got hard. It only made her stronger.

She was very giving. She loved having a lot of things: blankets, coloring and gardening stuff, also buying clothes. When she lived in Little Falls, when people didn't have anywhere to sleep, she would take them in. She invited a dad and his son to live with her when they had nowhere to go. She would watch people’s kids, bake and cook for everyone, not just her family. She would say her door is always open when you're hungry, tired or lonely. She never turned down anyone who needed help. She was always the bravest and strongest person. With all the battles she has went through in life, there wasn't a time when she didn't get back up and fight for what she wanted and what she believed in. Her daughter was her mini me and her best friend.

She was a widow to a husband named Brian Michael Benny who passed December 16th 2021. Everything about her was amazing and incredible. She was so smart and honest with everyone she met. She also worked for McDonald’s and Taco Johns.

She loved her pets more than anything. They were her children: Gypsy and Lenny, her dogs and Oscar, her cat. Whenever they got lost she felt like her world crashed until she found them.

In 2012 she lived in Aberdeen, SD where she worked with Roy Ellerbe at the BBQ Smokehouse where she sold ribs. She actually followed him from Minnesota to Aberdeen and to continue to work with him because he was family to her. Then he died and she moved back to Minnesota to be with the rest of her family.

During the last months before her death, she went back and forth from Buckman, MN to New Effington, SD to meet with her good friend, Tom. She knew him for 5-6 years and she helped him with taking cars back and forth to different places for Tom’s dealership. She also helped him clean his home and his farm. He was a very good friend of hers and made her really happy. They laughed and talked a lot about their lives, watching movies together. He helped Jody get a vehicle. He helped her along the way to help her have a better life after having a tough start to the year. She was actually on her way to his farm the day she died. She was so excited and happy. She had gardening stuff and painting supplies in her vehicle, wanting to help Tom with painting and gardening.

When Kayla went out to New Effington, the majority of Jody's stuff was already out there. She has been taking load after load out there every time she went there. She was planning on moving out there.

Unfortunately, she was traveling down a freshly graveled road and started to lose control of her vehicle and fish tailed, tried to gain control but then rolled her vehicle 5-6 times. She was so happy and excited, the day she died.

She had enjoyed working but when her medical conditions started to affect her, she started the process of getting on disability. In the meantime, she was on state insurance and food stamps and cash assistance. She made the best of her life with what she had. This year she was so excited and happy about her new vehicle. She put it in her name and showed her daughter Kayla over video. She wanted to accomplish so much, but, because of her tragic accident, she had a short time to do so. Kayla found out that she was approved for disability just a week before she died.

On this past Mother’s Day of 2025, she spent four days with her daughter Kayla. When she arrived, her daughter gave her a small bouquet of flowers and a Mother’s Day card. She also ordered her mom Chinese food for her to eat on her first night. They watched movies and laughed together and caught up with their lives. The next day they went out to Pizza Ranch in St. Cloud. Jody had a salad, pizza and pasta sides. They burned that off by shopping at Burlington. Jody tried on some beautiful dresses to buy. Kayla spoiled her that day by paying for everything. They went out to see some greenhouses, which she loved to do, to look at beautiful flowers and vegetables. She bought a good amount of plants and flowers, then they went to a bike shop to get Kayla a bike.

The next day they enjoyed some garage sales browsing. Jody was so happy and excited to spend some quality time with her daughter. Worn out, they returned home. Finally on Mother’s Day, they enjoyed a nice meal at Merlin’s Family Restaurant in Princeton, MN.

They then picked up Kayla’s boyfriend, Zach, at home, to go up to Elk River to buy more greenhouse flowers. At Menards they bought garden supplies to start Zach and Kayla’s flower bed at their house. Jody helped them with the planting, then she spent the evening relaxing outside, enjoying the fresh air.

Jody went back home on Monday morning and had just found out her daughter was pregnant. She touched Kayla’s belly and said “mama”. She told Kayla that she loved her and Kayla told her to drive safe and that she and Zach both love her. They both hugged her and she drove away.

After that weekend, she went back and forth from Buckman, MN to New Effington, SD to her good friend Tom. She cleaned his houses for him and he gave her a better, fulfilled life. She was so happy and she felt alive again. She ended up getting mono the next few weeks and stayed in Buckman, then she continued to go back to New Effington, SD. She would talk regularly with her daughter Kayla, who would check up on her and make sure she is doing well. Her daughter ended up miscarrying, then a month later her daughter was in urgent care because of an allergic reaction at work. Her daughter found out she was pregnant again and she called Jody and told her. Jody was so happy for Kayla and she said, “I love you, baby girl” before she got off the line. That was her final conversation with her daughter before she died.

The sad part about her dying is that she was finally moving out to South Dakota, getting the life she had always wanted. Starting her huge garden at Tom’s farm, she was happy with who she was and having all her animals with her. She was finally truly happy. She felt alive again. Things were finally going right for her.

In addition to her parents, and brother, Jody is survived by her children, Kayla Ray (Zachary Conners) and Michael Ray and her special friend, Tom.

She is preceded in death by her loving husband Brian Benny and Roy Ellerbe.

REMEMBER ME

Speak of me as you have always done.

Remember the good times, laughter and fun.

Share the happy memories we’ve made.

Do not let them wither or fade.

I’ll be with you in the summer’s sun

And when the winter’s chill has come.

I’ll be the voice that whispers in the breeze.

Im peaceful now, put your mind at ease

I’ve rested my eyes and gone to sleep,

But remember me when I was at my best.

Although things may not be the same,

Don’t be afraid to use my name.

Let your sorrow last for just a while.

Comfort each other and try to smile.

I’ve lived a life filled with joy and fun.

Live on now, make me proud of what you’ll become.