Carly Anna Benjamin died unexpectedly on Saturday, October 7, 2023 in Champaign, Illinois. Born to parents Diane and Andrew Benjamin at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bloomington on April 12, 1990, Carly was the beloved sister of Bryan Benjamin (Rebekah) of Hartland, Wisconsin.
Carly graduated from Tri-Valley High School in 2008, where she was active in photography and art. She went on to attend Paul Mitchell’s The School, earning her credentials in 2009. She moved to Champaign soon after, which became her home and is where she built a second family, forging unbreakable bonds with a close knit circle of friends and fellow artists. Through them, Carly’s light ripples around the world in friendship, in laughter and in the pursuit of the unknown.
If you summed up Carly’s approach to life in one word it would be “Yes!” She brought a passion and energy to everything she did, and encouraged those around her to pursue their dreams and develop their talents. Carly connected easily with people and loved them wholly, remembering their stories, their joys, their sorrows. She had the extraordinary ability to make those in her presence feel not only seen but valued.
Carly was an explorer; new places, new people, new ideas. Everywhere she went, she had friends and made new ones. She took annual canoe trips with family, camping trips with friends, and traveled internationally to Thailand, Spain, Amsterdam and Canada, always joyously recounting the stories and pictures to clients and friends when she returned. She moved, for a brief time, to Seattle from 2013 to 2014. Eventually, on a visit to Denver in 2018, she adopted Cowboy, a gorgeous Miniature Australian Shepherd who remained by Carly’s side from that moment on.
In 2016, Carly began training as a tattoo apprentice, eventually adding tattoo artistry and her own distinctly designed black line tattoos to her practice. A champion for women in entrepreneurship, Carly co-opened two successful small businesses in the middle of a pandemic. In 2020 she opened her own salon, Benny & Kay, in midtown Champaign. In 2021 she opened The Rec Club, a female-owned tattoo shop, gallery and event space that provides an aesthetic and affirming space for artistry and culture. Carly was forever searching for opportunities for collaboration that continue to exude beauty into the world around us.
Whether working in paints, inks, ceramics, or metals, Carly’s art was more than just a talent; it was a pure expression of her love of humans and her unique perspective on life. Ever true to her explorative streak, Carly loved to hike, focusing on the energy of the trees, plants and beauty surrounding her. She was a voracious reader, loved to share music, and spent a lot of time thrifting, searching for old treasures to bring back to life.
Carly was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Eugene and Mary Joan Benjamin, maternal uncle, Doug Sroka, and maternal grandfather, Walter Sroka. She leaves behind her loving parents and brother, a maternal grandmother, Eunice Sroka, numerous aunts, uncles and cousins, her precious Cowboy, and countless friends who will forever remember her for her joy, generosity of spirit, and stunning, gap-toothed smile. Her trademark “Hiiiieeee” will be forever missed by all who knew her.
A memorial service for Carly is being planned for Saturday, October 21, 2023 in Bloomington, and a celebration of life will be held in Champaign on Carly’s birthday, Friday, April 12, 2024. Details are being finalized and will be shared at https://everloved.com/life-of…, where friends and family can also post condolences, memories and tributes to our beautiful, transcendent Carly.
