Benay Shive

Benay Alaine Shive, 55, passed away on August 2, 2016. She was born on December 30, 1960 in Rockford, Illinois.
Her lifelong love of animals began in childhood, starting with her mother’s cat, Alphonse, and Mike the polar bear at the Chicago Zoo. Throughout her life, Benay cultivated lasting friendships with high school and college classmates, people she met through work, church, neighborhood, and community. Benay loved art, creating, collecting, and appreciating it. After graduating from Trumbull (CT) High School, she majored in biology and chemistry at Antioch College (OH) where she excelled in academics and sharpened her story-telling skills and wry sense of humor.
She worked in quality assurance at Pepperidge Farm in Norwalk and Bigelow Tea in Fairfield. In 2003, Benay made an incredible journey of love, faith, and hope by traveling to China to adopt her beloved daughter, Lily Margaret Shive. Benay enjoyed a close relationship with her mother, Joyce Shive and was dedicated to her faith community at Covenant Church of Easton.
Benay was predeceased by her father Joe Shive. She is survived by her mother, daughter, and sister Thea Shive. In celebration of Benay’s life, a Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, August 13, 2016 at 11:00 AM at the Covenant Church of Easton, 1 Sport Hill Road, Easton, CT
The family requests that donations be made in Benay's memory to: Lily Shive Scholarship Fund c/o Julia Portale, 61 Sunrise Avenue, New Canaan, CT 06840