The inseparable part of their relationship was galvanized further when Gina Benenati suffered heart failure while attending a junior high track meet in May 2009 at age 40.
The matriarch of the family was jogging to her car for a bottle of water when she went down near the track.
“Her heart went to a lethal arrhythmia, and they couldn’t pull her out of it,” Todd said, his eyes welling up with tears.
“Mom walked away,” said Nick wrapping his arm around his father’s neck and tugging him close.
The absence in the family has been extraordinarily difficult, but it brought the four men in the house — Father Todd and his three sons — that much closer.
Todd smiles at his sons, insisting they are a product of how they were raised by their mother.
“Tommy and T.J. do an incredible job as pillars of strength,” the proud father said. “They carry their mother’s integrity.”
Tommy admits his mother’s death made both he and T.J. grow up a little faster than they normally would have, and both assume chores their mother likely would have done.
Tommy drives his brother to school every day, where Nick has a half-day of an educational curriculum at Chardon. Then while Tommy continues his studies at the campus, where he has a 4.0 grade-point average, Nick heads to Eddy’s Fruit Farm as part of his education in the Cuyahoga Vocational Educational Curriculum (CVEC).
“He picks apples and packs baskets,” Todd Benenati said. “It’s kind of cool. It’s a really good program and Nick really likes it.”
At the end of each is a Friday night earmarked for football, with Chardon chasing supremacy on the field and Tommy chasing supremacy under his own roof, aiming to surpass the 1,600 yards rushing his brother had as a senior in 2013.
Some games are good. Some aren’t.
But they all end the same way — with a smile, hug and reassurance from Nick.
“I was frustrated the last two games with my passing,” Tommy said. “But then Nick comes up and goes, ‘Great game!” and gave me a hug. That makes you a lot less disappointed in yourself.”
As good of an student-athlete as Tommy Benenati is, from his pinpoint precision guiding Chardon’s complex Wing-T offense to his spotless GPA that he anticipates will take him into the field of engineering, he hates talking about himself or what he has accomplished.
“Tell me about your day,” he says, sitting down next to his brother on a bench outside the school.
The bond between Tommy and Nick was already strong, just because they are brothers. It was strengthened by the death of their mother.
No wonder the first set of eyes Tommy looks for after a game are that of his brother.
No one shares more then they.
“It’s been rough in a rewarding type of way,” Todd said. “When something happens to your child (i.e. Down syndrome), it’s a pretty devastating pill. But Nick is such an incredible gift. He has that energy or aura about him that rights any ship.
“He brings happiness to others. That’s as solid as you can say it.”
