Obituary of Kenneth Aaron Bender, Jr.

Funeral Services for Kenneth Aaron Bender, Jr. of Winfield, MO will be at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 1, 2024, at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home near Winfield. Augustine Ibezimako, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Chaplain, will officiate with burial in Whispering Winds Cemetery near Winfield. Kenny, 19, passed away early Sunday morning, November 24, 2024, at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, MO, after a courageous battle with Cystic Fibrosis. Born December 15, 2004, in Lake St. Louis, MO, he was the son of Nicole Marie Faudi Bender. Kenny lived his life to the fullest, enjoying fishing, gaming, pickleball and hikes with his camera. Kenny was a double-lung transplant recipient. His strength and persistence inspired all of those who knew him. Kenny was preceded in death by his mother, Nicole Bender; his grandfather, Curt Faudi; and many cousins. Survivors include sister, Paige Cook and her partner, Julien Thevenin of Brooklyn, NY; his grandmother, Kim Faudi of Winfield, MO; and his half-brother, Hayden Huckfeldt of Las Vegas, NV. Kenny also leaves two uncles: Jeremy Faudi of Winfield and Jeffrey Faudi, and his partner, Heather Hamilton, of Wright City, MO; his great-aunts: Cindy Barrett of Peachtree Springs, GA, Tina Vann-Hawkins and her husband, Steve, of Powder Springs, GA, Karen Bick of St. Charles, MO, Renee Bick of Overland, MO and Lisa Bick of St. Louis; his father of Moscow Mills, MO; and many other relatives and friends. Visitation will be held from 4:00-8:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 30, 2024 at Carter-Ricks Funeral Home near Winfield. Memorials may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in care of Carter-Ricks Funeral Home, 3838 East Highway 47, P.O. Box 253, Winfield, MO 63389.