Running Back to Him Fund

Benjamin (Benji) Zylka’s life can easily be described in three words: Faith, Family and Friend.

Benji's love and devotion to God was something to be admired. He lived his life using the bible as his guide, and accepted and trusted in whatever God’s plan was for him. He was the ultimate protector for his family and loved his wife and daughters with every ounce of his being. Just as his love for God was undeniable the love for his family was the same. He was always there, ready and willing to help and be there for anything anyone needed. His friends were never just friends, everyone was family. He had a laugh and smile that was contagious and was never afraid to say the craziest things to make someone smile.

He loved teaching and coaching others. He taught swimming for both Mount Pleasant’s Varsity team and the Aqua Club. His excitement and pride for his swimmers was always shown on the pool side as he would yell and cheer for each and every swimmer. There was never a doubt that he enjoyed watching them learn and grow. He studied martial arts for 40 years and was a Master Black Belt at Diamond Karate. He loved learning the art of it, teaching it and eventually sharing the love of karate with his daughters. Karate was never just a hobby or sport to him, it was a passion, a part of his family and his home away from home.

Benji worked at Donegal Construction, and through the years held the positions of flagger, laborer and foreman. He was a hard worker and expected those working with him to be just as hard working. And those on his crew knew that and became more like brothers to him. He could be tough while getting a job done but would do anything for any of the guys he worked with.

But to truly know him and see the fire and passion he had for the Lord; you would just have needed to see him on a Sunday morning preaching God’s word. He served as the Pastor at Johnstown Second Brethren Church for over 15 years and was serving as the Pastor of Masontown Brethren Church when the Lord called him home. He loved serving in the church and serving his congregation, and his mission was to teach God’s word and help bring people to Christ each and every day. He was in the midst of doing that when God decided he had bigger plans for him.

And now it is the family's turn to continue his mission. To continue preaching the word and bringing others to know Christ through community, education and love. With your support, the family hopes to establish the Running Back to Him Fund (Bringing Prodigals Back to the Father) to honor Benji's spirit by giving back to his community.