Benjamin "Ben" Matthew Kredich

Benjamin Matthew Kredich died Monday, August 21, 2023 in Knoxville, Tennessee after being struck by an impaired motorist while walking on the Kingston Pike sidewalk. Ben was born March 13, 1999 at Women and Infant’s Hospital in Providence, RI, the son of Kimberley Lathrop Kredich and Nicholas Matthew Kredich of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Ben received his education from public school and university systems in Richmond, VA and Knoxville, TN.  He attended Mary Munford Elementary in Richmond, and Sequoyah Elementary, Vine Middle, and West High School in Knoxville. Ben graduated with a special education diploma from West High School in 2017 and received a vocational certificate from the University of Tennessee FUTURE program in 2021.

Ben was diagnosed with autism at age two and-a-half and was fully included in the regular classroom during his entire K-12 education. Ben’s inclusion in the regular classroom was the result of constant and relentless advocacy from his family and an incredible group of teachers, aides, and supporters of his educational rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Ben was a trailblazer and inspiration for many other children with disabilities and their families, achieving the three tenets of IDEA – further education, employment, and independent living.

A huge part of Ben’s world was that of sound and music, and while he shared and delighted in this world especially with his mother and his brother Miles, he gave the gift of music to so many people he met. He found music everywhere - in instruments, machines, strings, food, kitchenware, nature, and in people, often coaxing individuals and even groups into song. Ben played piano, cello, percussion, ukulele, dulcimer, mandolin, synthesizer, guitar, and bass guitar. He played and sang in ensembles with his brothers and friends, performing everything from the Star Spangled Banner at University of Tennessee Athletic events to gospel and rock songs with his brothers and cousins. Ben was employed as a pianist at several Knoxville assisted living centers starting in November 2022, bringing joy to so many residents each time he played.

Ben swam competitively as a member of the University Swim Club, Tennessee Aquatics, West High School, and the University of Tennessee Vol Swim Club. Ben thrived on the friendships, companionship, and the sense of belonging he felt from his coaches and teammates on each of these teams. Ben was a fixture around the University of Tennessee Swimming and Diving Team, and several generations of swimmers and divers embraced him as a brother and a peer.

Ben is survived by his parents, his twin brother Miles of Chicago, IL; his younger brother Coleman of New York, NY; his grandparents Ann and Arthur Lathrop of Norwich, CT, his aunt Deborah Lathrop of Norwich, CT, his aunt and uncle Kathryn and John Rohlf of Truckee, CA, his aunt and uncle Nathan and Sherri Kredich of San Diego, CA, and cousins Emma Lathrop, Jackson Rohlf, Lucas Rohlf, Laney Rohlf, Hannah Kredich, and Sam Kredich.

Ben often spoke vividly of those he would meet in Heaven. He has joined in Heaven his paternal grandfather and grandmother Nicholas and Deborah Kredich, his great-grandmother Ernestine Friedl, his childhood caretaker Shirley Noe, his aide, companion, and champion Marsha Partin, and his beloved pets Scout, Ellington, and Basie. He had always planned on having lively conversations and jam sessions with his heroes Freddie Mercury and John Lennon. We, still on Earth, can only smile and... Imagine.

Celebration of life will be held on Sunday, August 27, 2023, at Cox Auditorium at Alumni Memorial Building 1408 Middle Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916, at 2:00pm. After the conclusion of the service, friends and family will gather to celebrate Ben's life.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Indo Jax Surf Charity on Ben's behalf. Venmo: @indojaxcharity

We encourage you to please send memories, pictures and stories of Ben to https://forms.gle/Y5oSysmVi5zwqSuX8

Celebration of life will be live streamed at https://utk.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=38ec543d-f6d9-49d3-93a3-b06801460a96