Benjamin Beeler

Benjamin Harvey Beeler, age 40, of Streamwood, IL, formerly of Kalamazoo, MI and Warsaw, IL, passed away Sunday, November 4, 2018. He was born August 14, 1978, in Quincy, IL to Melinda Meeker Beeler and Randy Beeler. He was a 1996 graduate of Warsaw (IL) High School. He married Katie Gehrman in 2011 and later married Krista Towers in 2017. She survives. His love for and knowledge of cars led him on a path as a car salesman for many years, eventually owning his own dealership, Beeler Motorsports, in Kalamazoo, MI. He continued his car sales career after his move to Chicago, IL and found he had a knack for internet sales. He formed his own company and began sharing his knowledge with other auto dealerships, and eventually other businesses, to help them grow. In addition, he was a Senior Manager with SendOutCards, and often shared his life story at their events, touching many lives. His awards from SendOutCards included Circle of Excellence, Eagle's Nest, and the Revolution Award. He co-produced a video for SendOutCards for a song he wrote the words to, which was one of his proudest accomplishments. He was working on the outline of his biography, "From Checkered Past to Checkered Flag" when he passed. Ben lived life to the fullest, and racing was his passion. He owned several race cars over the years, from enduro to Late Model Sportsman. In 2013 he won feature races at Kalamazoo Speedway, Galesburg Speedway, and Springport Motor Speedway, which were his proudest racing accomplishments. His love for short track racing infected his entire family, especially his mom and his niece Makena Snyder. Even through the rough times of his life, Ben tried to always find the 13% positivity side of things and encouraged others to do the same. Ben is survived by his wife Krista of Streamwood, IL; his parents Melinda (Mark) Russell of Kalamazoo, MI and Randy Beeler (Lonnie) of Boynton Beach, FL; 3 sisters, Brandy (Bob) Snyder of Kalamazoo, MI; Brittany (Jon) Huizinga of Glendale, AZ: and Breanne Nardecchia of Chandler, AZ. He is also survived by four children, Braelynn Beeler of Macomb, IL; Brian Kawa of Placerville, CA; Bryce Beeler of Galesburg, MI; and Aly Beeler of Marshall, MI; step-son Cole of Streamwood, IL; his grandmother, Elda Mae Beeler of Hamilton, IL, as well as aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and his mentor and "brother", Kody Bateman of Riverton, UT. He was preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, Harvey and Betty Ann Meeker and his paternal grandfather, Ed Beeler. Also preceding him in death was his very close friend, Ben Raber, who passed away in June of 2018. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made online at: https://fundly.com/beeler-children-memorial-fund for his children. A Celebration of Life will be December 20, 2018 from 5-8pm at the Richland Community Center, 9400 East CD Ave, Richland, MI. At 7pm there will be a time to share stories and memories. Family and friends are invited to attend.