Through the tears, sadness and obvious sense of loss at Saturday’s funeral for Sgt. Kennith Mayne — those who knew the fallen soldier said he would have been laughing.
“He’s enjoying every minute of this now,” said his aunt, Jeanine Roybal of Thornton, bedecked in colorful garb for Mayne’s service at Fort Logan National Cemetery.
Mayne, 29, of Arvada died Sept. 4 in Baghdad when the Humvee he was riding in was hit by a roadside bomb.
One of Mayne’s last wishes was to have everyone wear Hawaiian shirts at his funeral.
Faithful friends and family obliged — lending a festive atmosphere to a somber event.
“That’s Kenny,” said Roybal, who said she normally never dresses in tropical wear. “He’s laughing right now.”
Mayne also would have noticed that most of his loved ones were crying.
His mother, Michelle Benavidez, sobbed when handed her son’s medals and the flag that was draped over his coffin.
They cried when doves were released to soar over the south Denver cemetery, when three rifle volleys were fired by servicemen beneath a tree and when a lone bugler in the near distance sounded out the 24 mournful notes of taps.
Gov. Bill Ritter joined the gathering. More than 70 motorcycle riders escorted the family and casket and stood holding American flags during the service.
Mayne was the seventh member of the armed forces from Colorado to die in Iraq this year.
“He is my hero,” said his grandfather, Richard Benavidez, in a eulogy that revealed Mayne’s carefree spirit. “The world is a quieter place now.”
Mayne came out of the womb “knowing exactly what he could and couldn’t get away with,” Benavidez said.
He was trouble as a teen, said family members, having frequent run-ins with the law.
Once he was picked up in Central City, and his mother told the officers to make him walk home, where he was soon picked up for violating curfew.
His grandmother, Paulette Owen, said he would have loved the police escort his remains received.
“First time the cops were escorting him when his hands weren’t behind his back,” she said.
Mayne’s skill as a soldier was forged as a youth constantly ducking behind bushes to avoid being caught, his grandfather said.
Mayne’s mother ordered her teenage son to pick a branch of the military and enlist.
Mayne chose the Army — the 101st Airborne and then the 4th Infantry Division.
“It just clicked for him,” said cousin Dianna Bertam of Brighton. “He was good at it.”
Mayne remained in the Army for 11 years and was on his second tour in Iraq — training others and turning them from “problem children” into great soldiers, said 1st Sgt. Adam Smith, Mayne’s squad leader.
His grandfather, wearing a Hawaiian shirt and standing before the casket, said Mayne was born to be a warrior and died doing what he loved.
“Remember Kenny as the child who made us laugh, the teen who made us crazy and the man who made us proud,” Benavidez said.
Jeremy P. Meyer: 303-954-1367 or jpmeyer@denverpost.com
