Flu may have killed elementary teacher

By Brett Dalton
The Journal Staff

The family of a Blue Springs woman who died unexpectedly last weekend
believes she died from the flu.
Stephanie Bentele, 46, died during the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 24. She was diagnosed with the flu just days before her passing, said Leo Bentele, Stephanie’s father.
Leo Bentele said on Wednesday afternoon the family had yet to see the death certificate and didn’t know, as of press time, the exact cause of death. Leo Bentele said he is convinced his daughter died from the flu.
“She was diagnosed with the flu, and she was prescribed (an antiviral) drug called Tamiflu and that’s what she was being treated for,” Leo said. “I don’t know what else it would be.”
Stephanie Bentele spent 10 years in the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District and taught at Hawthorn Hill, Cedar Creek and, most recently, Summit Pointe elementary schools. She also served as the K-6 Science Curriculum Specialist for the R-7 School District.
Prior to teaching in the R-7 School District, Stephanie Bentele taught at St. Bernadette’s School, a parochial school in Kansas City.
Heather Kenney, principal of Summit Pointe, said in a letter sent to parents that Bentele was popular and well-liked among students and staff.
“She was well known for her love of students and her irresistible enthusiasm for science,” Kenney said. “Ms. Bentele was never without a smile and had a kind word for everyone. She will be dearly missed by her current and former students, as well as her co-workers at Summit Pointe and throughout the school district.” To honor Stephanie Bentele’s memory, her family, in cooperation with the Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation, has created a scholarship in her name. Contributions can be sent to the Lee’s Summit Educational Foundation, designated to the Stephanie Ann Bentele Scholarship Fund, 301 N.E. Tudor Road, Lee’s Summit, MO 64066.