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Benjamin Paul Myers, 43, son of Steven Paul and Kaye (Dendinger) Myers, was born on Dec. 30, 1979. He died of natural causes on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023.
Ben was known as a quiet genius with a big and tender heart. He died while living where he loved, on his boat in Lake City, Minn.
Funeral Mass will be held at St. Thomas More Catholic Church on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 1:30 p.m. followed by a Celebration of Life at 2:30 p.m. The church is located at 1700 8th St. in Brookings, S.D. Live streaming is available of the Funeral Mass at 1:30 by going to the “live” tab on Saint Thomas More Brookings YouTube.com
When Ben was a year old, his great uncle, Ben Reifel, shared his Lakota Sioux name, “Lone Feather” in an official ceremony on Lake Poinsett. This would somehow foretell Ben’s future as a reflective person, preferring to stand strong and watch, wonder, absorb an embrace. As a small child in York, Neb., Ben was curious about everything from music, computers, animals to reading how to fix a Toro lawn mower. He was always ready for the next “project.”
When he was five years old, the family moved to Brookings, S.D. Here he continued to pursue his lessons on the piano, violin and trumpet. While in grade school, Ben helped take his team to compete at a state level with Odyssey of the Mind and enjoyed camping year around with his Boy Scout Troop.
The family moved to Storm Lake when Ben was 14 years old. There he earned his Eagle Scout award and joined the Academic Decathlon Competition often being called to substitute in almost any topic area. He was also active in swim team, track, theater and featured on the trumpet in the Iowa All-State Jazz Band.
Ben continued his passion for theater at Iowa State University by completing a degree in performing arts. Rather than being in the spotlight on the stage, he preferred illuminating the talents of others with the lighting and sound booth behind the scenes. Being the creative, unique and incredibly smart guy that he was, he pursued his career in computers, technology and worked with projects no one else seemed to comprehend.
Ben is survived by his two children, Nathaniel (Nat) and Catherine (Cat) of Lakeville, Minn.; his previous wife, Jennifer Pol of Lakeville, Minn.; his mother Kaye Myers of Brookings; siblings: Amy Myers of Sioux Falls; Charlie (Liana) of St. Charles, Ill.; Andrew (MaKayla) of Brookings; and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his father, Steven Myers; his maternal grandparents, Don and Edna Dendinger; and his paternal grandparents, Tex and Jill Myers.
