Benjamin Stewart was a MARINE! Benjamin Stewart was a father!  Benjamin Stewart was a husband! Benjamin Stewart was a friend.  He was a lot of things to a lot of people.

Ben was that voice of reason when everything around you was crazy.  Ben was the shoulder you cried on but not for long because he would eventually  say in a very low, quiet voice, “ok, it’s time for you to move away now. Personal space and all.”

Ben was an avid fisherman.  Being out on his boat on the water brought extreme joy to a man who, when he laughed, shared joy that could never be forgotten. Ben was the mentor that every young man needed to have in his life because he was indeed a “man’s man!”  Yes, he was a lot of things to a lot of people.

For me, Ben was “Captain America.”  I always joked with him about his secret switches and buttons that I refuse to press or flick for fear of a chain reaction somewhere else in the world.  We both knew that it was nothing of the sort but I always saw him as a man of mystery.  One who could save the world at a moments notice.   Yes, Ben was a lot of things to a lot of people.

Many people are devastated by his absence.  It will be difficult for folks to say goodbye.  I, on the other hand will not say, Goodbye.  I will merely say, “see you later.”

Seimper Fi Ben.

~~~Lindabelle~~~