Ben Y. Bay

Long-time Houston resident Ben Y. Bay died March 1 at the age of 86. He was born May 11, 1923 in Yakima, Washington, the son of Shijimatsu Hamaguchi and Shizu Suzuki Hamaguchi. His father died two years later, and his mother moved to Bakersfield, California and married his stepfather, Sajiro Yamashita. During World War II, he was among 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent who were interned in relocation camps.

On October 14, 1944, he married Barbara Fujimura in Cleveland, Ohio. They moved to Houston in 1950, where his parents had settled and would later open Ivy Acres Nursery in Garden Oaks. Attending night school for ten years, he earned a BBA from the University of Houston while raising a family and working as an accountant at Christie Mitchell & Mitchell. He remained at the firm until his retirement in 1986 from Mitchell Energy. Ben also was active in the Oak Forest Lions Club and received a number of awards for his contributions, including Rookie of the Year and Lion of the Year.

After his retirement he and Barbara took up tennis and were avid square dancers and round dancers. He also enjoyed traveling with friends and served as president of the GM&A Credit Union for Mitchell employees. His family and friends will remember him for his dry wit, which continued to entertain us even in the last weeks of his life; for his always curious mind, eager to keep up with the latest technology; and for his grace in dealing with the debilities of Parkinson’s disease.

He is survived by his daughter Leslie Steen and soon-in-law Michael Curran, grandson Sean Steen; and daughter Deborah Bay and son-in-law Edgar Browning. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 51 years, Barbara Fujimura Bay, and later his loving companion of 10 years, Bette Darby. The family expresses heartfelt thanks to his caregivers Anne McGhie and Joya Foster for all of their assistance and concern.

A memorial service celebrating Ben’s life will be conducted at two o’clock in the afternoon on Friday, the 5th of March in the Chapel at Pat H. Foley & Co. with Rev. Cramer Johnson officiating.

Arrangements under the direction of Pat H. Foley & Co., 1200 West 34th Street, Houston, TX 77018.