Fundraiser, memorial set for McHenry VFW Commander Ben Keefe after unexpected death last month

Comedian Bobby Henline was working with McHenry VFW Post 4600 Commander Ben Keefe to bring one of his shows to town when Henline got the news his friend was gone.

Now the comedy show initially planned with him on Oct. 26 at the VFW hall will be a fundraiser for Keefe’s family.

Keefe, 50, died unexpectedly on Sept. 2. Henline, who met Keefe as part of events for Henline’s nonprofit, Forging Forward, learned of his friend’s death on his own birthday, Sept. 3. He posted a tearful tribute to Keefe on his Facebook page.

“Our friend Ben Keefe was one of the first participants in Forging Forward’s first retreats,” Henline said, calling his friendship with Keefe “a bromance from the beginning.”

Henline, 53, is a U.S. Army veteran. On his fourth deployment in Iraq, the Humvee he was riding in hit an EID, killing the other four soldiers and severely burning him. He began doing comedy shows during his recovery, and later created Forging Forward. The nonprofit brings veterans into the woods for two- to four-day retreats and helps pay for veteran prosthetics, among other programs.

Tickets for the McHenry show are now available through ForgingForward.org. VIP tickets are sold out, but $20 general admission are still available.

A memorial service is set for Keefe from 4 to 7 p.m. Nov. 2, at the VFW Post, 3002 Route 120 in McHenry. The service will begin with military honors. Overflow seating will be set up outdoors, as the VFW can hold just 791 persons, officials there said.