Benton City teacher, coach to be honored

A celebration of the life of Benton City teacher and coach Ben Hill is set for noon Sunday at Kiona-Benton High School. The public is welcome.

Hill, who taught sixth-grade at Kiona-Benton Middle School and coached the Ki-Be wrestling team for 18 years, died early Monday of heart failure. He was 56.

A devout Oregon Ducks fans, Hill was beloved by his students and wrestlers.

"He was the best coach and an even better man," Kale Setzer said. "He personally took an interest in me as a below average wrestler and turned me into a two-time state placer."

"His conditioning truly was legendary and that’s a big part of why I became as successful as I was. I didn’t have the best or most technique, but I could wrestler longer than most could. I owe my entire 13 years of wrestling to that man," he said.

Setzer, who graduated in 2013, said he also learned life lessons from his former coach.

"He didn’t just coach everyone on wrestling, he coached us on life," Setzer said. "A new lesson to be learned every practice with that man. Stuff I can teach my own kids and share with my wrestling team."

Richland High School football coach Mike Neidhold said he and Hill were student teachers together at Badger Mountain Elementary School in the late 1980s.

"He was my partner in crime on how to learn to be a teacher," Neidhold said. "If I wasn't prepared to teach a lesson, he was there for me. He was in the business for the right reasons. He loved kids, and they loved him. It was genuine. He is what teaching and coaching is all about. We need more people like him in our business. I can't believe he's no longer with us."

Einan’s at Sunset in Richland is in charge of his funeral arrangements.

This story was originally published May 31, 2018 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Benton City teacher, coach to be honored."