"A gentle faithful servant of our Lord, Benjamin "B" Dominic Crifasi, Sr., entered the kingdom of Heaven at the age of 95. A lifelong resident of Baton Rouge, Daddy passed away Saturday, August 10, 2019. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, cousin and friend that is already deeply missed. He first and foremost loved the Lord. As a faithful man of Manresa for many years, his strong and humble presence was an example of how to serve others and was an inspiration for all to do the same. With a caring giving heart, he always looked for the good in others and was full of gratitude for the blessings in his life. Time with family and friends was the finest gift and privilege he could receive. As the fifth of nine children of Dominic Crifasi and Mary Grace Montagnino Crifasi, he grew up in the produce business. An independent grocer, he was the owner of Crifasi's One Stop Market and Crifasi Brothers, Inc. in North Baton Rouge along with his brother Peter for many years. Although Ben was "retired", he spent the past 26 years working in the produce department of the Hi Nabor Grocery Stores, rotating among their three locations. The Broadmoor store was his home base up through this past May. He served in the US Navy as a Pharmacist's Mate 2nd Class and in the US Marine Corps as a Hospital Corpsman, receiving an honorable discharge December 7, 1945. While in Washington DC, he met the love of his life, Faith Follmer from Oak, NE and was forever thankful for God's hand in bringing them together. His Vietnamese family at Sts. Anthony of Padua and Le Van Phung Parish deeply loved him. We are especially thankful for his friendship with the Very Rev. Joseph Hung Nguyen, Fr. Francis Minh Nguyen, Fr. Peter Tan Nguyen, Sister Therese Dinh and the Sisters of the Incarnation Consecration Mission. He was a lifelong parishioner at St. Anthony Catholic Church serving as Eucharistic minister, lector, and usher. His service to St. Anthony Church also included providing the palms each year for Palm Sunday (many times cutting and cleaning them himself) and serving on the Financial Board for many years. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus Council No. 2807. B is survived by five daughters, Kathleen (Mike) Simoneaux, Elizabeth (Chris) Maxwell, Margaret (Tommy) Guidry, and Rosemary (Wayne) Bajon all of Baton Rouge, and Mary (Ben) Langfeldt, Omaha, NE; three sons, Ben (Sandra) Crifasi, Jr., Michael Crifasi, and Anthony Crifasi all of Baton Rouge; brothers, Brother Eldon Crifasi, S.C., Pascoag, RI and Francis (Sally) Crifasi, Baton Rouge; sisters, Jennie Fonte, Houston, TX, Rosemary Orr and Lorraine (Joseph) Drago both of Baton Rouge; 17 grandchildren, Todd (Rebecca) Simoneaux, Jennifer (Troy) Brigalia, Angela (Joey) Poirrier, B.J. Crifasi, Beau (Misty) Chaney, Barrett (Ashley) Maxwell, Sara Maxwell, Kandace Cronin, Dr. Katie Crifasi, Marie Guidry, Ross Guidry, and Isabella Bajon, all of Baton Rouge; Maggie Crifasi, Barcelona, Spain; Nick (Katie) Crifasi, Alden, PA; Grace Crifasi, Fayetteville, AR; Marcie (Chris) Sanders and Nicci (Dave) Walker, Omaha, NE; 18 great grandchildren, Chelsea Cotton, Malori LaPorte, Josi LaPorte, Tristan Brigalia, Knox Poirrier, Jada Poirrier, Alex Poirrier, Camden Crifasi, Hudson Crifasi, Duncan Sanders, Christopher Sanders, Ashley Boltin, Brooke Boltin, Caitlyn Boltin, Liv Chaney, Constence Brue, Briell Creekmore, and Jaycee Eveland and one great-great grandchild, Makenzi Boltin and numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by wife of 53 years, Faith Follmer Crifasi, his daughter, Faith Ann Crifasi; parents, Dominic Crifasi and Mary Grace Montagnino Crifasi; brothers, Peter and Sam; and sister, Rose. Pallbearers will be Todd Simoneaux, B.J. Crifasi, Beau Chaney, Barrett Maxwell, Nick Crifasi, and Ross Guidry. Honorary pallbearers are Brother Eldon Crifasi, S.C., Francis Crifasi, and Joseph Drago. Visitation is at Rabenhorst East Funeral Home, 11000 Florida Blvd., Friday, August 16 from 5 pm - 8 pm, rosary at 6:30 pm led by the Catholic Daughters of the Americas Court St. Francis of Assisi No. 1915. Visiting resumes Saturday at Rabenhorst East from 8 am to 10 am. A mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Anthony Catholic Church, 2305 Choctaw St., Baton Rouge, LA at 10:30 am celebrated by Fr. Francis Minh Nguyen and Fr. Michael Thanh Nguyen. Interment in Resthaven Gardens of Memory, 11817 Jefferson Hwy. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Anthony Catholic Church. A heartfelt thank you to Audubon Hospice for their compassionate care, especially Christine, RN; Tanya, RN; Ginny Barden and Tim Boswell.
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