Nicholas Edward Benes, 27, passed away in Chicago, Illinois on Thursday, October 19, 2023, of an unintentional drug overdose. Nick's soul is finally at peace after a long battle with mental health issues.

Nick was born on October 1, 1996, in Davenport, IA. We don't know a lot about the first 3 years of Nick's life. At 3 1/2 he and his brother, Cory were taken in by their foster father, Ron Prince. Ron was 24 years old and was a wonderful first dad to the boys. At 5 and 6, the boys were welcomed into Roger and Janice Benes' family and were formally adopted six months later.

Nick was a smart student with good grades. He played the trombone and he participated in football, cross country, basketball, and excelled at golf. He enjoyed tailgating and cheering on the Huskers. Nick was active in church where he served as an altar boy, worked at Knights of Columbus fish fries, rarely missed catechism/youth group, and thoroughly enjoyed trips to the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis.

Nick went to Basic Training for the Iowa National Guard right after graduation and then to UNI. It was there that his mental health struggle began slowly separating him from his loving family. The next eight years were spent grappling with his family who fought to keep him safe and his desire to push away.

Nick is preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Stanley and Henrietta Benes and maternal grandfather, Allen Bongers.

Nick is survived by his parents, Roger & Janice Benes; brother, Cory Benes; grandmother, Ellen Bongers along with many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Nick's family requests that attendees wear casual attire.