Kelly Bender

KELLY BENDER

North Liberty

Kelly S. Bender, 43, of North Liberty, died peacefully Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, surrounded by her family, at Mercy Hospice. A funeral service to celebrate Kelly's life will be 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Visitation will be Monday from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Kirkwood Room (next to the funeral home).

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Iowa City Hospice or Mercy Hospital Foundation for Mercy Hospice.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.lensingfuneral.com.

Kelly was born Aug. 24, 1971, in Pella, the daughter of Larry and Norma (Hiemstra) Vander Werff. She was a graduate of Pella Community High School and received her bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa and her master's degree in criminal justice from St. Ambrose University. On Aug. 21, 2010, Kelly married Chad Bender in Coralville.

Kelly's professional career began by working with at-risk youth in the juvenile justice system. She then joined MECCA as a site-based counselor at City High, later becoming MECCA's prevention manager. In 2011, Kelly took a newly created University of Iowa position to lead the Partnership for Alcohol Safety, a coalition of UI and community representatives working to reduce high-risk drinking and create a safer downtown.

Her optimism and wonderfully unique sense of humor will be greatly missed.

Kelly is survived by her husband, Chad of North Liberty; her stepdaughter, Piper Roseland-Bender of Sioux Center; her mother, Norma Vander Werff of North Liberty; three sisters, Karla (Mark) DeCook of Sully, Krista (Kent) Long of Long Grove and Kathy Vander Werff of Syracuse, N.Y.; her niece, Jessica (Josh) Vander Molen; her nephews, Jacob Boot and Owen Long; great-niece and great-nephew, Jaelynn and Jayse; her in-laws, Judy Bender of Kalona and Douglas Bender of Willard, Mo.; and brother-in-law, Nick (Lisa) Bender of Des Moines.

Kelly was preceded in death by her father and maternal and paternal grandparents.