Date of death: 6/1/2019
Saint Meinrad Class: O 1955
Ben saw the world courtesy of the US Air Force and SAC from 1948 to 1968. Ben progressed from the enlisted ranks and ended his long career as Major, Electronic Warfare Officer and Assistant Chief on B-52s.
Prior to enlistment he attended St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana near his family home in Loogootee, where he grew up with his parents Mary Gwendolyn Willis Benjamin and Maurice Earl Benjamin, and siblings Mary, John, Willis, Joseph, Edward, Gerald & Robert.
Ben & Mary Frances “Fran” Norred married in 1962. During their 57 years of marriage, they raised 8 children, Victor, Linda, Jim, Madonna, Patsy, Gwen, Molly and Alice, and later welcomed 15 grandchildren and 29 great grandchildren.
After his retirement, Ben continued seeing the world as he and Fran traveled from Alaska to Florida and acquired a BA in Journalism from UTA along the way.
Ben was a lifetime musician and loved playing as a member of the Dallas Banjo Band. Above all, Ben had a passion for storytelling.
His stories will continue to be shared for generations to come.