Local Author and Illustrator: Kay Benson

Written by JENNIFER DZIEDZIC

Newnan resident, 73-year-old Kay Benson and her husband Pete, 71, have been married for 50 years. After living around the US, Japan and Singapore, they relocated to Peachtree City with their teenage daughters in 2002 and then to Newnan in 2007. 

In her first published book, “Remember and Don’t Forget, Bible Stories for Mom and Me,” Kay wrote, edited, and illustrated with co-author and partner Saundria Keck, who resides in Tennessee. Since there is a distance between them, they would often hold meetings in Chattanooga and use email correspondence. 

Kay was on the Mom to Mom Ministry board when she met Keck, who worked for Lifeway Christian Resources. Thus a deep friendship formed along with a shared vision. 

After seeing a need for aiding mothers in teaching their children about the Bible, Kay and Keck created the book to help parents and children understand and learn together. Kay says, “I saw the need for ‘Remember and Don’t Forget’ a long time ago.”

“Remember and Don’t Forget” started out of Mom to Mom Ministry, a program that started in Boston where she worked at Grace Chapel, according to Pete. 

After their first project, Benson and Keck also wrote the book “Teach Your Children,” a Bible story book solely distributed to Syrian and Iraqi refugees through an organization called Heart for Lebanon. They ministered to children who had been through wartime trauma. The Lebanese Mission Group requested three curriculums: one was the printed book distributed to students and teachers in Lebanon.

“Kay and Saundria have a lot of Bible knowledge, a lot of teaching knowledge, child development and all that,” Pete says.

Their third project, “The Jesus Story, Because He Still Loves Us,” was created to give parents something simple that any parent could pick up and read as a thread through the Old and the New Testament.

Kay has a background in elementary education and creative arts. Her passion for gardening and time spent living in Japan inspired her striking watercolor and ink artwork. “Being in Japan and learning to do Sumi-E probably influenced me,” she says. Every movement is essential. “That is the theme of The Jesus Story; it is essential,” Kay says. “I’ve always loved color so that was a big inspiration too, and simplicity, and that was brought out in Japan by living there.” 

Pete adds, “I do a lot of photography and always have. She was very encouraging to me to get out and take some shots of this and that and she’d paint from them.” 

Kay taught editing for a time at Konos Academy in Tyrone. 

Mr. Benson explains: “There are a lot of books out there about Christian themes and all of them are good. It’s just, what Kay’s experience has been is ‘What would you have liked if you were a child or a parent?’ and not, ‘I’m excited about this; let’s put this out.’ It’s more or less about what would your need be if you were in that position. I think that’s what we all try to think about when you’re trying to promote something.” NCM