City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
Holly Ann Schroeder Benazgera
Durham, North Carolina
Age 69.
Died 03/05/2025.
December 22, 1955 to March 5, 2025.
Holly was born to Eternal Life after suffering severe head injuries on August 3, 2024. Holly was a pedestrian in a parking lot when stuck by a car which fled the scene. After a long battle to attempt to recover, she died of complications caused by severe brain damage. Holly was proceed in death by her parents, Richard L. Schroeder 1931-2005 and Marlene Lydia Schroeder Nee Kallas 1931-2012, also her grandparents, John Kallas 1897-1961 and Lydia Kallas (nee Wegner) 1898-1963.
Holly is survived by her cherished 16 year old daughter and light of her life, Yasmina Lydia Benzerga, and her former husband Redoune Benzerga. Holly is additionally survived by her 3 sisters: Jeryll (Bill) Bushman, Christine (Bob) Cossens, and Virginia (Mark) Malinowski. Additional she has a special neice, Lisa M Kay. Holly started her life living for at least 22 years at 2061 South 24th St., in Milwaukee, WI. This house was built by her great great grandparents, August Wegner 1869-1944 and Wilamina Wegner 1868-1948 in 1907. Holly always loved cats. Holly went to Grant St. Elementary School, Walker Jr. and South Division Sr. High Schools, graduating in 1972, already an accomplished artist. Holly then attended University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee studying Art.
In 1978 Holly moved to Boone, North Carolina. Holly was self employed making Art/Crafts/Wood Products/Furniture. In 1987 Holly moved to Raleigh/Durham NC, operating a Gallery/Frame Shop. The shop was named ARETE and moved twice to two different locations near Duke University. In 2020/21 the Covid 19 epidemics drastically affected her business. Holly then decided to retire until her life was suddenly cut short by tragedy.
Holly always wanted to be cremated as her father and mother had been. There will be no funeral at this time, but a celebration of her life will be held later to allow the family to grieve and recuperate. The Family wants to thank all the staff at Duke University Hospital especially the Neuro-Intensive Care Unit/Team. Also appreciated are the Durham Co. Police Dept. and EMT. Also Special Thanks to Attorney Robert Pochapsky and Realtor Don Hanan who helped us when others did not or could not.
“The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?” Edgar Allen Poe
“The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity.” Lucius Annaeus Seneca
"Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.” George Eliot
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
You can share this obituary using the following address, or click the button below to share on Facebook.
City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.