TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

Marian Benner was many things to many people.

She was a mother of four. A friend to many. A good neighbor. And she was truly an unsung hero in east Bakersfield.

Today, people will gather at St. Joseph's Catholic Church and Hillcrest Cemetery to remember the life of Benner, who died Oct. 26. She was 46.

Benner is survived by her four children, Juan Jose Benner, 19; Francisco Javier Benner, 17; Mariana Louisa Benner, 16; and Jose Luis Benner, 15, along with her father, Erno Benner, of Oregon, a sister, brother and other relatives and friends.

Benner was a longtime community activist in east Bakersfield, often volunteering for the local youth and seeking ways to improve the nearby neighborhoods. She did this, despite her constant struggle with acute lymphedema.

When I first met Marian and the Benner family, she was already struggling with acute lymphedema, a condition of localized fluid retention brought on by a compromised lymphatic system. Despite her health issues, she joined the efforts of the East Bakersfield Faith Community Alliance and worked with fellow residents on several projects, neighborhood socials, and community meetings

She was sick and tired of being sick, but not too tired to work for change.

And the unsinkable Benner never came alone. Her four teenager kids always joined in and volunteered their time too!

Many know Benner from her involvement with the East Bakersfield Community Coalition, where she spearheaded activities for children via the after-school Kid's Club program, the Girl Scouts, and Boy Scouts. She even chauffeured many neighborhood kids to and from activities.

Even more impressive, without a "community center" building, she became, for many, the center of the community. Many families would seek her out for advice about anything from help with filing their taxes or legal documents to getting information about health and other resources. For a time, she even held English as a Second Language classes in her living room.

"She'd come over to my house to use the internet to download and print whatever materials she might need for her classes and brainstorm some ideas and strategies," said good friend and another East Bakersfield community leader, Brandi De La Garza. "She gave her time and talent to the community not for public recognition or anything like that, but because she could, and I think she could because she was not concerned with hierarchies of any kind, but more with each and every human being she came in contact with... Marian really saw you, heard you, and gave of herself based on that."

In a world where people living next door are more often strangers than neighbors, Benner symbolized the true meaning of a neighbor.

"Not only did Marian not allow her own struggles with her health to be a reason not to help others, but she also did not allow language barriers, shyness, appearances or cultural differences stop her from helping anyone who came to her for guidance or friendship," De La Garza said.

Let's hope her legacy will live on through her children and others who give compassionately without expecting anything in return.

Andrae Gonzales is a local Latino columnist whose work appears regularly in The Californian. These are the opinions of Gonzales, not necessarily The Californian. Write to him at agonzales@bakersfield. com.