In Memory of Anthony Benelisha

The Passing of Our Friend:

On the morning of February 7, 2024, Sacramento Firefighters’ Local 522 Firefighter-Paramedic Anthony “Benny” Benelisha, 32 years old, passed away peacefully following a lengthy and courageous battle with twice-occurring job-related cancer. Anthony, a loving husband, father, brother and friend was surrounded by friends and family throughout his fight as well as during his far too soon transition.

A Bit About Anthony:

Anthony was raised in Southern California and later moved to Northern California to pursue his education at Humboldt State University where he rowed competitively and participated in marine research. While in Humboldt County Anthony became a volunteer firefighter and later full-time firefighter with the Arcata Fire District during which time he was pivotal in the success of many projects, programs and emergency calls. His efforts there saw him rise to the role of Firefighters’ Local 4981 President, earn numerous awards and recognitions including ‘Firefighter of the Year’ and garner the respect and admiration of most his peers.

In 2021 Anthony successfully completed the process to become a Paramedic and in the same year joined the Sacramento Metro Fire District as a lateral hire. Anthony was an equally thorough firefighter and paramedic, always putting service before self even when the decision was unpopular making him popular amongst his supervisors and the crews with which he worked. Anthony would never shy away from a task because it was dirty or challenging. The mark of one who leads by example. Anthony called station 101 in the Arden-Arcade area his home and was very fond of his crew members. Anthony was nominated for ‘Firefighter of the Year’ by his peers in 2023 after his decision to make a statement about resolve by finishing his 12-month probation in spite of on-going chemotherapy treatment and a less than favorable prognosis. Truly a rare breed of human.

The Benelisha Family Needs Your Help:

Our beloved friend Anthony’s family is in need of financial assistance to help them through this difficult time. Anthony did his best to plan ahead for this moment however many of those arrangements are currently still in process leaving his wife and young daughter with limited resources in the meantime as they look forward to what lies ahead. All donations will be put toward not only giving our hero Anthony the memorial that he so deserves but also toward making sure his family has what they need including meals, paying bills and any other expenses sure to arise.

During his time on earth you could always rely on Anthony to do for others (even while sick) be they friend, family or stranger all while making every possible effort to avoid taking the credit when given; often finding opportunities to give his peers the recognition he earned. That was the type of person Anthony was, please help us in anyway you can in giving back to someone so worthy. Anthony made clear to close friends in his final days that the sole worry he carried was for his wife Ashleigh and 4 year old daughter Eleanor to be taken care of once he was no longer here to see to-it himself. Thanks for your consideration, humbly.