Joseph Benjamin Earl

Joseph Benjamin “Ben” Earl, 88, passed away peacefully at home on January 15, 2013. Ben was born in Chicago but lived most of his storied life in Southern California. He graduated from Flintridge Prep, then attended Stanford University as WWII began. In his sophomore year Ben had joined the Navy who sent him to Caltech to complete his civil engineering studies in 1944 before serving as an officer in the US Navy Civil Engineer Corp (Seebees). On January 6, 1945 at 10 AM, Ensign J. Benjamin Earl was commissioned, and at 11 AM, Ben married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Cristy, just prior to being sent to Okinawa with the 8th Naval Construction Brigade. After the war Ben returned home, “To start a family and go to work.” Successfully done ... Ben is survived by his beloved wife, Pat; his daughters, Jody (Roger) Helliwell, Cristy (Vic) Ecklund & Marjorie (Don) Fryer; his son, Benjamin (Jonee) Earl; ten grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. Following the war, Ben joined his brother, O.K. Earl, in the residential, commercial and industrial construction business in 1946, and he became the President of the Earl Corporation in 1957. A few of the numerous club and organizations Ben has been a part of include: Annandale Golf Club, The Valley Hunt Club, Young Presidents’ Organization & 49ers, The Associates of the California Institute of Technology, the National Childhood Cancer Foundation; American Cancer Society, The Scripps Home, The Patron Saints Foundation, the Methodist Hospital of Arcadia Foundation as well as the Methodist Hospital Foundation and many more. A memorial service at 10:00 AM on Tuesday, January 22 will be held at the Holy Family Catholic Church, 1501 Fremont Avenue in South Pasadena 91030. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Pasadena Guild of Children’s Hospital L.A., PO Box 51101, Pasadena, CA 91115.