John Benjamin Rishel III

Ben was born in Hutchinson, KS on December 28, 1946 to John B. Rishel II and Gladys Marie Rishel (both deceased). Ben grew up in Wichita, KS and in 7th grade moved with his parents to Andover, Ks. He excelled in academics and high school sports lettering in football, basketball and track. In the summers he played baseball, caddied at the Wichita County Club and worked as a lifeguard there as well. Ben had 2 younger brothers, Darrell (Vickie) Westminster, CO and Marvin (deceased). Ben served in the US Army stationed in Germany from March 1967 until January 1970. He earned the Army Commendation Medal for his meritorious service. He was discharged to return to school at Wichita State University.

Ben married the love of his life Cindy Mullen on December 22, 1970 in Wichita, KS. They met on a blind date arranged, in part, by a close friend of Ben and his family. They were married for 50 years and raised 4 sons together. Ben graduated with a Juris Doctorate degree from Washburn University in 1976. Following their move back to Wichita, Ben began his general practice of law. Ben and Cindy moved to Arvada, CO in 1979 when Ben began his career in the oil and gas industry. He enjoyed the work as a landman for Chevron, then for Premier Resources in Denver. When the oil industry took a downward turn, Ben returned to the private practice of law and specialized in bankruptcy work.

Ben and Cindy lived in Arvada, CO for 16 years. Ben was a leader in Arvada Junior Baseball, serving on their Board of Directs and coaching all of his sons in baseball. He was an avid golfer and spent many hours on the wonderful golf courses in the Denver and Rocky Mountain area. He served on the Board of Trustees at Arvada United Methodist Church; was an active member of Kiwanis, where he was program chair and sponsored the first Key Club at Standley Lake High School in Westminster, CO. We had wonderful memories of playing bridge and traveling with the Kiwanis group. Ben served the community through numerous volunteer activities and always took his sons along to engage in the spirit of service to others.

Ben was a huge sports fan. He and Cindy had season tickets to the Denver Broncos as well as season tickets to the Colorado Rockies. The entire family was in attendance at the inaugural Rockies game and even were captured in the official photo of the crowd that was in attendance that day. As a family we spent many weekends skiing in the Rocky Mountains. Our favorite resorts included Vail, Beaver Creek, Winter Park with Mary Jane, as well as Keystone and Copper Mountain. Definitely we were the first ones on the mountain and the last ones to leave at the end of the day. This was just an example of Ben’s favorite motto: never leave early, whether it was a sporting event or just enjoying time with the family. Summers were primarily consumed with baseball and coaching his son’s various teams. Ben had a strong connection with young people and was a wonderful coach and mentor for them.

In 1995, Ben and Cindy (along with their two youngest sons) relocated to Tucson, AZ to provide assistance to Cindy’s elderly parents. Ben worked in the copper mining industry for a period of time then retired from the practice of law. He enjoyed playing golf with the Old Pueblo golf club and a private group of long time Tucsonans affectionately known as the Pottinger group. He also joined a bridge group and enjoyed playing on a regular basis. True to his nature, Ben became engaged in coaching baseball for his youngest son Jordan and enjoyed many golf outings with his third son Jeff. Ben and Cindy became very involved in University of Arizona sports and enjoyed having season tickets to both Arizona football and basketball. As a true Wildcat fan, Ben insisted on having a home network system when we moved to California that would allow us to watch all of the Pac 12 sporting events.

In 2015, Ben and Cindy relocated to Los Angeles for Cindy’s work at City of Hope Cancer Research Hospital. Ben loved driving and found the challenge of driving on the Southern California highways to be especially exhilarating. He continued to engage as an avid sports fan and spent time at both Chavez Ravine (home of the Dodgers baseball team) as well as at the Angels ballpark. Suffice it to say, Ben and Cindy became avid Dodger’s fans despite many protests from family.

In late 2017, Ben and Cindy moved back to Tucson. There is something very mysterious about the pull of the desert to folks who have lived in this area. It is difficult to explain however, once you experience living in Tucson you will know exactly what it is. Ben was happy to return to the beautiful desert despite ongoing challenges with his health. Ben fought hard to maintain his quality of life and enjoy his family. He loved his children unconditionally and was so proud of each of them. His grandchildren were especially important to him and we spent as much time as we could chatting with them via Facetime. What a wonderful legacy he has left us all. Generous almost to a fault, totally giving of his time and energy, he wanted only the best for everyone he encountered whether it was his clients, his church family, his Kiwanis group or his golf buddies. He was a great Dad, always engaged with his sons and their families, setting a wonderful example for them as a man, a father and grandfather. Sadly, Ben passed away on September 20, 2021. He will be sorely missed by his family and those who knew him, yet we are comforted knowing that he is no longer suffering.

Ben is survived by his wife of 50 years Cindy, sons Jeremy (wife Heather) of San Francisco, CA; Jamie (partner Ruben) of San Diego, CA; Jeff (partner Frankie) of San Diego, CA and Jordan (wife Samantha) of Phoenix, AZ. He was predeceased by son Jonathan. Ben is also survived by grandchildren: Marcus, of San Francisco; Kennedy of Phoenix; Hannah of San Francisco and Jupiter of San Francisco.