$100,000 Raised For Shark Attack Victim's Burial Expenses, Wife

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — As the community mourns the loss of Ben Kelly, a 26-year-old surfer and board shaper taken too soon, donors have contributed nearly $100,000 from more than 1,000 donors to cover the cost of his burial and help support his wife, Katie.

Friend Zachary Shull set up a GoFundMe in his honor — "our tangible way of carrying on Ben's legacy of love and generosity."

"He was a good, godly, humble man who deserved many, many more laps around the sun and many more good waves," Shull wrote in a tribute to his friend.

Shull remembered Kelly for his "entrepreneurial spirit," passion for surf, love for his wife and "his faith and his relationship with Jesus."

He recalled dawn patrols with Kelly, sipping cold beers after a surf session and "how he would read tax laws for fun."

Donors from all over shared in mourning over Kelly, offering condolences, memories and prayers.

"Thank you for showing us how to live," one wrote.

On Wednesday the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office announced Kelly's death was caused by a shark bite to his right knee. He was pronounced dead Sunday at Manresa State Beach.

Kelly was a self-taught surfbound shaper who loved to surf the world, his website said.

"What started as a way to fuel my own surfing passion has now become a way to stoke out my fellow surfers, and that is truly fulfilling to me," he wrote. "It's the way I have found to give back to others."

Donate to the memorial fund in Mr. Kelly's honor here.

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