Ben W. Keith, 93, passed away October 16, 2022, in Pharr, Texas. He was born August 17, 1929, in rural Graham County, Kansas, the first of two sons of William J. and Ethel L. (Fawcett) Keith. He grew up two miles west of Penokee along the Solomon River where he and his brother John ran barefoot, had a goat swing that swung out over a big embankment and chased lots of rabbits. He had always celebrated his birthday August 18th until he found his birth certificate and it stated he was born the 17th. His mom must have been in shock! His parents called him Benny until he started school when someone suggested that they shorten that to Ben, which sounded more grown up.
He attended Morland grade and high schools graduating in 1948. The boys rode with neighbors who drove Model A Fords and once had a ride in a 1926 Chevy. Ben enjoyed racing cars with John and their friends, wrestling and going to dances. Believe it or not, in high school he referred to himself as a “wallflower” because he was too shy to ask a girl to dance. He worked at the A.T. Sanger farm through high school, continuing working for the Sangers until joining the Armed Forces in June of 1954. He completed his basic training and schooling in Arkansas at Camp Chaffee. He was later stationed in Korea and was honorably discharged in June of 1956. He was proud to have served in the military and felt extremely honored when he received a Quilt of Valor in 2016. The quilt was on his chair and used every day.
When Ben returned to Graham County, he met and married Charlotte Riggs in 1959. Two daughters, Donna and Billie, were born to this union. The couple later divorced. In the mid-'60s, he joined his brother in a farm partnership and later owned his own farm. His favorite part of farming and ranching were the cattle. He would train them to come with a honk of his pickup horn. They would come running in great anticipation of a grain treat and the girls remember that if you weren’t fast enough to dump the grain, you would be surrounded by steers licking their lips! Farming and ranching were an integral part of Ben’s entire life and he was very proud when the farm received the recognition of a century farm. Ben was a member of the Masons for 70 years. He was a past Master of the Morland Lodge and later an active member of the Millbrook Lodge in Hill City. As an active community member, he served a stint as Mayor of Morland, served on the cemetery, water district, and township boards.
Ben beamed with pride whenever he was with his grandson, Jay. On his summer visits from Texas, he was always amazed at how fast Jay was growing. Grandpa Ben had a plethora of gophers in his yard and taught Jay how to trap them, which Jay took great pleasure in showing his favorite aunt. There were several great nephews and young guests in town that got their first trapping and driving lessons from Ben. Jay has many memories with his grandpa, but a favorite is when they were catching minnows in the river and Grandpa just jumped right in. Ben’s laugh was contagious and couldn’t help a good laugh-out-loud every time he watched Jay’s dog and cat play hide, seek and attack!
Ben loved to travel and see new places. On one bus trip, he met Karen Stettes and together they enjoyed 25 years traveling and dancing. Their travels took them to Mexico, Alaska, New York and many bus trips throughout the United States. When they were home in Texas, they would have morning coffee and play a couple of dice games, of which he became quite proficient. In fact, he said he was almost ashamed that he kept winning! He also enjoyed playing cards and games, talking politics and made many friends especially if they were Republicans.
Preceding Ben in death were his parents, brother, John and sister-in-law Wilma and his niece Laura. Left to mourn his passing are his partner, Karen Stettes; daughters: Donna (Alex) Leslie and Billie (Mike) Frakes; and grandsons: Cody and Jay Frakes.
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