Kathleen M. Ballew

Kathleen M. (Benson) Ballew passed away Saturday, October 15th after a brief illness. She was 55 years old.

She was born in Bayonne, New Jersey on December 21, 1955. She and her husband, Robert, and son, Marshall, moved to Lake Asbury, Florida in 1983. Kathleen was a loving wife, mother, sister, and mentor. During her long nursing career she was a tireless caregiver to her family and friends, as well as to the countless patients she served.

Kathleen received her BSN degree in Nursing from the University of North Florida and her extensive career spanned thirty-five years in hospital, administrative, and research settings. She began her nursing career at University Hospital (now UF-Shands) in Jacksonville’s first Florida Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Her unquenchable thirst for knowledge and new career challenges led her to nursing and supervisory positions in Labor and Delivery, ICU, and CCU Departments at several local hospitals including St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Baptist Medical Center, CMS Nemours Children’s Clinic, and Orange Park Medical Center. She also served as Senior Community Health Nurse for the Clay County Health Department, and as a Clinical Research Coordinator at UF-Shands. She was a certified Bereavement Counselor, Maternal Childbirth Instructor, and Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC), and held Neonatal Advanced Life Support (NALS) and Adult Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certifications.

Kathleen’s great love of nursing and interest in child health eventually led her to her final, and much loved, career as School Nurse for Coppergate Elementary in Lake Asbury, with primary care responsibilities for high risk health and developmentally-challenged students. To Kathleen (Nurse Kathy to her students), each child was special, and her interest and care for them and their families did not stop when the school day ended. Instead, she counseled, encouraged, and loved each and every one of them, and their smiles and hugs were her greatest reward.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles H. Benson, Jr. and Lorraine Natton Benson. She is survived by her husband, Robert Ballew, and son, Marshall Ballew (Lillian); four siblings: one sister, Sharon Norman (Richard), and three brothers, Kim Benson, Bryan Benson (Robin), and Darin Benson, aunt, Virginia Foerst, two nieces, Maureen Benson and Meghan Benson, four nephews, Adam Benson (Gina), and Jordan, Seth, and Nathan Lyda, her father and mother-in-law, R. L. and Opal Ballew, and sister-in-law, Martha Lyda, and cousins, Susan Fessler, Karin Conway, Karla Lynch, Kandra Kramer, Kurt and Kerry Foerst, Lynn and Mark Benson, and Gerry, Mary Jane and Karen Somers.

Kathleen’s zest for life, dazzling smile, and deep love and devotion to her family and friends will always be cherished by those lucky enough to have been touched by her beautiful and compassionate spirit. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 29th at Orange Park United Methodist Church,
152 Stowe Avenue, Orange Park, Florida. The family will receive visitors at 9:30 a.m. prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Make a Wish Foundation.

A Dignified Alternative-Hatcher Cremations (904) 260-2522