Benjamin E Deguzman

Ben was born to Victoriano and Carolina DeGuzman on March 2, 1933 in Cavite City, Philippines. At age 20 he joined the United States Coast Guard and served faithfully as a Culinary Specialist for 22 years.

Ben met Maria Hatzigeorgiou while stationed on the island of Rhodes, Greece and they were married on June 18, 1960. Their first child, a daughter, Carolina (Miles) DeGuzman, was born there. Ben’s military service then led the family all over the United States, including Long Beach California, where their son, Benjamin DeGuzman Jr. was born and Kodiak, Alaska where their son Michael DeGuzman was born. The family’s travels included tours in Honolulu Hawaii, Miami, Florida and Elizabeth City, North Carolina before Ben retired as a Senior Chief Petty officer in 1975 and settled in Clearwater, Florida. There they were surprised with a fourth child, George DeGuzman a full 13 years after their third!

Ben was an avid fisherman throughout his life and spent most of his healthy days enjoying his hobby on one of the local fishing piers. He was also a talented cook and his culinary creations were well-known and enjoyed by all who knew him. He was generous and hospitable to charities, his family, and to those who called him “friend.”

Ben’s wife, Maria preceded him in death in 2005. He is survived by his daughter Carol and her husband Jeff of Jacksonville, son Ben and his wife Colleen of Cape Coral, son Mike and his wife Sherry of Ocala, son George and his wife Megan of Tampa, and 13 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.

As first-generation immigrants to the United States, Ben and Maria leave a legacy of wise decisions, moral character, simple living, and a lot of laughter and adventure among those who loved them.

In speaking of passing from this life to the next, the bible verse he enjoyed most was John 11:25 where Jesus said to the woman, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies.” When reading this verse to him in the hours and days preceding his passing, he simply stated, “THAT is the BEST part of all!”

A graveside memorial service will be held at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park on June 27th at 3:00pm in Peace Field Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Season’s Hospice. They took excellent care of Ben during his final days and were a comfort to the family.

https://seasonsfoundation.org/donate/