Athens City Hall was a somber place Monday, as the city mourned the loss of Athens Cemetery, Parks and Recreation Director Ben Wiley, who died Saturday at the age of 49.

“It is a sad day for us,” Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks said. “We have not only lost a valuable department head, but we believe we’re all family here in the city. The sudden death of Ben is a shock to all of us. Ben was very well respected in the community.”

Wiley had worked for the city for 28 years, spending about 20 of those years as the Parks and Rec director, Marks said.

“It’s going to be tough replacing somebody who had 28 years of experience,” Marks said. “That is a sudden, major loss. Moving on with our staff members is tough, but we assured them we will go on. As Ben would say almost every day to his department, ‘You know your job, and you do it well. Let’s continue to do our jobs.’ But we do have a big void to fill.”

Under Wiley’s leadership, the city completed an expansion to the Athens Sportsplex, building a pod of four new baseball and softball fields. The department also saw record enrollment in youth sports programs, and Wiley played a large role in the Sportsplex hosting a regional USSSA softball tournament this past summer.

Wiley also spearheaded the drive for a new rec center.

“Ben’s dream for the last 10 years was for us to have a new recreation center fit for a fast-growing community,” Marks said. “We have accomplished that goal and will continue with Ben’s passion and dream.”

Wiley was also a member of the Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2015. He was a standout player at Elkmont High School from 1985-1987 and was named first-team All-State his senior year, the first basketball player from Elkmont to achieve that honor.

Wiley went on to play collegiately at Southern Union Community College before transferring to University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for one season and finishing out his college career at Athens State, where he helped lead the team to the quarterfinals of the 1991 NAIA National Basketball Tournament.

Limestone County Sports Hall of Fame board member Jimmy Woodroof said Wiley was a worthy member of the hall of fame who represented the community well through his work with Athens Parks and Recreation.

“Ben was always very positive and extremely interested in young people in this community,” Woodroof said. “He was just a great, steady influence. It is great to see somebody who is a hall-of-famer in our community lead the recreation for the youth. He was the perfect role model in our community.”

Woodroof said he would see Wiley multiple times a week near Athens High School, and Wiley always kept him updated on the progress of the new recreation center.

“That has been such a prime focus for Ben for several years,” Woodroof said. “I really believe the new rec center will be his legacy.”

Visitation for Wiley will be 5–7 p.m. Tuesday at Limestone Chapel Funeral Home. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home with burial in Thatch-Mann Cemetery.