Karl King Behnke

Karl King Behnke, 78, of Marshall passed away Friday evening, September 12, 2025, at Rose Arbor Place, Kalamazoo. He was born in Battle Creek, Michigan on November 22, 1946, the son of Franklin F. and Nancy Larene (King) Behnke. Karl graduated from Pennfield High School with the Class of 1965 and continued his education at Western Michigan University, receiving a BA in Education. He taught for 34 years, between Springfield High School and Battle Creek Central. Karl was beloved by his students and people still talk today about how he was their favorite teacher. Karl also worked for Behnke Trucking Inc. from his time in college through 2020. The boys have fond memories of taking trips to Chicago and back with him when they were young. Everyone that Karl interacted with while trucking became his friend and enjoyed having him show up at their dock with a delivery. 

Karl is survived by his sons, Greg (Angie), Andy (Heather) and Brad (Adrienne); his grandchildren, Alaina, Justin, Madison, Nicholas, Katie, Brady, Reese, and Claire; his sons' mother, Joan Behnke; and several cousins, nieces, nephews and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Fred and Bob. 

Karl was a devoted husband and father for his entire life. The most important thing to him was his family. He thoroughly supported his sons in all their sports, including coaching them in floor hockey. He was the voice the boys could always hear cheering loudly from the stands. 

Karl loved boating with his family and friends. He had numerous boats over the course of 35 years. Many stories can be told from tubing with the kids and booze-cruising with their friends. Karl brought his three sons up to be die-hard University of Michigan fans. He enjoyed going to games as a family when the boys were younger and later attending games with his grandchildren. Karl also loved vacationing and spending time in northern Michigan. 

Later in life, the most important thing to him was his 8 grandchildren. Karl spent countless hours attending everything from dance recitals, soccer games, cross-country meets, basketball, football, and any other activities the kids were involved in. He would always call his sons or grandchildren to see how the events went if he was unable to attend. 

The family will receive friends 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 16, 2025 at Farley Estes Dowdle Funeral Cremation Preneed Care, Battle Creek where a service to celebrate his life will be held 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, September 17, 2025. The service will be Live-streamed and may be viewed at https://vimeo.com/event/5378801. In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or the Humane Society of South Central Michigan. Personal messages for the family and favorite memories of Karl may be placed at www.farleyestesdowdle.com.