Benton M. Haislett

Ben Haislett was born in Ft. Pierce Florida in 1935, the only child of Ted and Evelyn Haislett. His father worked for the Bull Steamship Line and his mother was the first certified dental hygenist in the state of Florida.

Ben graduated from high school in Jacksonville and went on to attend the University of Florida where he received his bachelor’s degree in Forestry Management. He was a trombone player for the Florida Gator Marching Band. Ben was a football season ticket holder for almost 30 years and a devoted member of Gator Nation!

Soon after graduating from UF, Ben enlisted in the US Army where he was a Miltary Intelligence Specialist. In 1961 he was honorably discharged as a Corporal from the 1st Military Intelligence Detachment at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Ben started his career in insurance with the Lynn Insurance Group which specialized in Lumber Mills. He later joined Allstate Insurance as Commercial Sales Manager for the Florida region. His career with Allstate spanned 28 years. Before his retirement, Ben was Independent Agency Manager for the state of Florida and the Caribbean. He earned top honors as a Key Manager 18 years along with many other accolades and was greatly respected by his colleagues.

Ben married Jo Ann Kissinger May 10, 1972. Ben and Jo were fortunate to celebrate 47 years of marriage. They have two daughters, Kelly Herman and Nicole Haislett. Proudly both girls graduated from the University of Florida. Kelly who lives in Lawrenceville, GA is married to Jeff Herman. They have 23 year old triplet sons; Max, Tyler and Davis along with their twleve year old daughter, Alexandra. Nicole of St. Petersburg has a thirteen year old daughter, Blake.

Ben had many interests throughout life. He learned to love the water and boating when he lived on Staten Island as a child. There he owned his first wooden boat and was surprised at Christmas with a small motor from his parents. His love for boating continued when he returned to Florida and began sailing. He owned sailboats and crewed on many Regatta teams. Of course fishing came along with his fondness for the sea. He enjoyed many trips to the Suwanee River with friends until near the end.

Ben was an avid golf and tennis player. He and his wife, Jo, were mixed doubles Club Champions at Lakewood Country Club in St. Petersburg and Ben was Golf Club Champion at Silverthorn Country Club in 1997.

Ben was very good at building and fixing things. He never needed a handy man. He designed and built several pieces of wood funiture for the family, which are still in use today.

In 1997, Ben and Jo Ann built a new home in the Sliverthorn Community of Brooksville where he enjoyed his continued retirement.. In their new home they loved to entertain their family and the wonderful new friends they made. Many of these friendships have endured the last 22 years. They remain in touch with their dear friends in St. Petersburg, always attending New Year’s Eve and Superbowl parties among other special times.

Mark, who came into his daughter, Nicole’s life five years ago summed Ben’s life up in these words; “He was honest, smart, tough and called it like he wanted to. Awesome he was!”