Ben Sweat

Benjamin Scott Sweat, 44, of Austin, Texas, passed away on October 24, 2022. Ben was a devoted husband and father of five children, a gifted entrepreneur — and a pretty darn good ballroom dancer. He was such a shining presence that his family and friends can’t imagine a world without him in it.

Ben was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, the seventh of eight children. Even at a young age, he stood out with a mischievous smile, sparkling wit, and compassion for others. He had a radio voice and an impeccable laugh. He was constantly dreaming and creating, an attribute he carried throughout his life. He lived in a world of possibility.

Ben was a natural at almost any sport. He enjoyed basketball, ultimate Frisbee with our family, paintball (He really left an “impression” with his nephews), golf, mountain biking, skiing, horse shoes, and anything else he could try. He tried out for the sophomore basketball team with a cast on his shooting hand after punching his buddy in the arm to show off his strength for the girls. (Classic Ben!)

It was as a ballroom dancer where he really made his mark. Ben was part of a long line of Sweat family dancers, which still continues. He danced for BYU Idaho and traveled throughout the US and Mexico. He won numerous local awards and several times at Nationals, as well. Once, competing in a swing competition at Ricks College, Tim finished 4th, Ben 5th, and Matt 6th, in their birth order. It was probably the only time Ben paid any deference toward Tim’s age.

Ben helped create what became the most famous (infamous?) Sweat family tradition: when Ben and any willing brothers or nephews would interrupt a wedding reception to strut a disco number in 70s clothes and giant wigs. Ben was proud to point out that he was the only member of the Sweat family to be given a dollar bill for his dancing.

Ben loved to travel. He’d seen much of the United States by the time he graduated high school, and later took his family on trips to various parts of the U.S. as well as Paris and England. He and his wife Aprilanne would throw out the itinerary at a whim, detouring eight hours of the way so that Aprilanne could check Mount Rushmore off her list.

Just before his death, Ben returned from a trip to Northern Ireland where he recreated old photos from his father’s mission there, 60 years ago. He lived all over the country, including New York, Florida, Utah, Texas and Virginia. He especially enjoyed the years he spent in Burbank, California, where he was able to live near his brothers Matt and Jeff, grow his family, and map out (and rank) every breakfast burrito in a 25-mile radius. He named November, as “Breakfast Burrito Month.”

Ben was proud of his education. When Ricks College became BYU-Idaho, Ben opted to continue in the school, becoming part of its first ever four-year graduating class. He believed this was something momentous, and wanted to be part of it. He worked closely with LDS General Authority Elder David A. Bednar, then president of BYU-Idaho. After he graduated, he and Aprilanne hosted a fundraising event for the school, where he met – and traded quips with – LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley.

Ben went on to earn his MBA at the elite University of Chicago. His greatest dream was to build a company of his own, and he was skilled at coming up with new product and marketing ideas. At Yahoo!, a colleague said, “I would see Ben working quietly there, and every once in a while his head would pop up with another brilliant idea.” He was a constant entrepreneur, working with exciting new tech startups. He brought multiple companies into the world, most recently a brand on Amazon.

Ben was a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He served a mission to the Wisconsin Madison mission. (He was in the same ward as then-Green Bay Packers coach Andy Reid, which would ultimately lead Ben to his favorite team ever, the Kansas City Chiefs. But more on that later.) He held multiple callings in his local congregations, including Elders Quorum President and second counselor in the bishopric. Ben loved his Savior and always did his best to serve Him and those around him. He believed that God is forgiving and loves all his children no matter what they were struggling with in their life.

In 2003, he started to date Aprilanne Skeen, although she was initially confused by that fact, since he was playing it so cool that she couldn’t tell he was actually asking her out. As she prepared to go on a mission, she kept on wondering why he wasn’t trying to stop her, even though they were getting more serious – until they were actually engaged. When she asked why he hadn’t intervened he said, “I never wanted to discourage you from doing something that you loved.”

On December 30, 2003, Ben and Aprilanne were married in the Washington, D.C. temple. He loved Aprilanne, and was grateful for her support in his business ventures and her partnership in raising their family. They were always a team, especially when it came to parenting.

For Ben, everything began and ended with family. He was the noisy center of the even noisier Sweat get-togethers. He helped lead annual Family Reunion “Night Games” where the uncles and aunts would play alongside nieces and nephews. The games could last until hours past midnight, or until someone called the cops. He had a bright energy that made it easy for him to talk you into an idea. He was often the instigator of some of the family’s crazier ventures, including the time he convinced brothers and nephews to mountain bike along the rim of a mesa near Zion – and then hooked everyone else on cycling. “Let’s go biking” gave the siblings many more frequent excuses to get together.

He would drop anything to come see a sibling, no matter how far away. When his brother Nathan was diagnosed with cancer, Ben flew to Utah just to see him. As Nathan lost his hair, Ben was the mastermind of a series of deliveries of increasingly absurd headwear, including a wig of Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite, and a mullet cap.

Ben loved children. He frequently tried to get his nieces and nephews to say he was their favorite uncle – the “funcle,” as he said it – and usually he was. But his greatest loves in the world were his own children: Annalisa, Hayley, Ariana, Brielle, and Scott. With four little blonde girls, he became an expert hairdresser, so much so that Scott must have been a bit of a relief. He took the kids on individual trips to see his beloved Chiefs, so that each had memories with Dad. He knew what made them happy. His last post on Facebook gave some important advice to parents of teens: when the new Taylor Swift album drops, just play it cool.

Ben was a uniter. He was frequently the bridge between all different kinds of people, especially between those who were members of the LDS Church and those who weren’t. “Ben's friendship was unconditional,” a friend of his said. “He was humble and accepting. The world would be a much better place if we were all more like Ben.”

And it would.

Ben is survived by his wife, Aprilanne Sweat; his children, Annalisa, Hayley, Ariana, Brielle, and Scott; his parents, Ned and Anna Jean Sweat of Iona, Idaho; his siblings, Laval Sweat of Woodland, Washington, Shauna Hemsley of Idaho Falls, Idaho, Steven Sweat of West Haven, Utah, Jeff Sweat of Los Angeles, California, Nathan Sweat of Spanish Fork, Utah, Tim Sweat of American Fork, Utah, and Matt Sweat of Santa Clarita, California. Ben is also survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, and even grandnieces and grandnephews.

The funeral will be held Saturday, October 29, 2022, at 2:00 pm at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1000 Rutherford Lane, Austin, Texas 78753. The service can be watched via Zoom, at https://zoom.us/j/97648401509.

The burial will take place at 11:00 am on Monday, October 31, 2022, at Cook Walden/ Forest Oaks Forest Cemetery, 6300 W William Cannon Dr, Austin, Texas 78749.

To join the funeral service via Livestream, please click on the Zoom link below.

https://zoom.us/j/97648401509

Webinar ID: 976 4840 1509

Telephone (US): +1 346 248 7799

International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/abWkmduvAX

Funeral services provided by Weed-Corley-Fish Chapels, www.wcfish.com.