Bernard Ben Eckert

Ben was born in Morden, Manitoba, the 8th of 12 children to parents Gottlieb and Mathilde.

With a stubborn streak a mile wide, Ben's determination helped him overcome many obstacles in life, including a near fatal logging accident in the 1950s.

He leaves behind his loving wife of 60 years, Arlene; daughters Jody (Randy). Jill (Stan), and Jay (Russell); grandsons Jason and Jake; granddaughters Randee and Emily; great grandson, Carey; great granddaughters Madison and Kinsley; brother, Herb; many nieces and nephews; and brother-in-law, Robert(Pat).

He peacefully joins his brothers Ed, Bob, Ewald, Harvey, Alf, Les, and Nelson, and sisters Olga and Elsie, as well as his long-time friend and best man at his wedding in 1958, Walter Kowalski.

Ben's three great loves in life were his family, logging, and fishing. He retired at age 65 after 30 years of working for the Ohashi Brothers in Lumby. After Ben retired, he and Arlene spent many happy days fishing from their houseboat and camping with friends, including Louis and Edna Oliverius.

When he slowed down in his later years, Ben continued to haul logs and catch fish in conversations with friends during his daily coffee break at Ida's Bakery in Lumby. After moving to Vernon in 2014, Ben and Arlene visited their local Tim Horton's as often as their health allowed, where Ben reminisced about logging with Vern Martin.

Ben's family would like to thank the staff at the Hamlets in Vernon for their compassionate, loving care of Ben for the past 11 months, as well as Charlene Zecchel of We Care. The family would also like to thank the nursing staff and care aides on the second floor of Vernon Jubilee Hospital who treated Ben with dignity and made sure his final days were comfortable, with special mention to Dr. Green and nurse Rebecca.