Benjamin Lee Treadway

After holding tenaciously to life and showing great inner strength to the end, Ben Treadway passed on March 16th, 2022, from congestive heart failure with his family by his side. He had suffered a rare virus that greatly reduced his heart function a decade ago, and this would have stopped anyone else, but he defied medical expectations with the sheer strength of his will and continued living vivaciously for many more years.

Ben’s journey began in the family home in Greenmount, Maryland during 1948. His mother Marie Elizabeth Walsh, later known to the family as Mamarie, remembers it as a very hot day. While he kept connections to Maryland, in his teen years, he moved with his parents, older brother Bruce, and younger sister, Shelli, to Dunwoody, Georgia, where the new homestead was established for several decades.

This home remained the special gathering place as children, nieces and a nephew were added to the mix.

After graduation from Chamblee High School, Ben went to Berry College where he met several lifelong friends, including his friend and best man, Step. For years afterwards, Ben loved returning to Berry for reunions, golf tournaments and car shows. After graduation, Ben served 8 years in the United States Marine Corp flying AH1J Cobra Helicopters, achieving the rank of Captain. He will be buried in Arlington Memorial Park with military honors.

A year after his first son, Matt, was born, he was honorably discharged from the Marine Corp, and having learned from his business minded father, Marvin Treadway (later known by the grandkids as Gramps), he joined the family business, X-Ray of Georgia. His leadership and technical expertise made him a natural to oversee the service component of the business. During the 80’s and 90’s it was recognized as one of the premier medical imaging supply and service companies in the Southeast.

From an early age, Ben had a passion for motors…especially fast motors. He worked on them, drove them, restored them, raced them or watched them race. He enjoyed time with Uncle Sterling’s Classic cars, raced motorcycles, Nascar, Formula 1 and an Indy Car. After completing his time with X-Ray of Georgia, he flew charter flights, continuing his passion of flight from the late 70’s when he built his own plane and flew it across the country. He remained a connoisseur of many fine motors and could be seen behind the wheel of his Porsche, Ferrari, or occasional Lamborghini. Later in life, he continued his passion by restoring modern and vintage motorcycles and cars.

Those who knew Ben knew that he loved life and lived it fully. He shared his love of animals and nature. At his home in Roswell and Blairsville he often filmed sunsets, bears, deer and owls to send to his family. Recently, with his pass to Vogel State Park, he loved to go on walks with his late dogs. And he knew how to enjoy life’s simpler pleasures too: ice cream (especially chocolate almond), hotdogs with sauerkraut, pizza, a good hamburger, chocolate shake and a witty sense of humor.

A formative life change happened on a Walk to Emmaus. Ben wore the cross he received on this journey for the last 20 years, and he was holding it as he died. He gained a new passion of teaching Sunday School, and remained a significant member of Mt. Pisgah UMC; upon his move to Blairsville, he joined with the worshipping community of Shiloh Baptist Church.

He will be greatly missed by his surviving wife Chris; their three children, sons Greg and Matt, Laura and her husband David; three grandchildren, Bella, David and Jaxon; mother Marie, who loved watching the Braves and Jeopardy with him, as he cared for her through health issues; brother Bruce Treadway; sister Shelli Jenkins. His children will always remember him being at their ball games, taking them on trips and making sure they always had the best of everything. His grandkids will miss Grandpa, who watched them take laps of the cul-de-sac in their own go karts, and always made sure they knew he was proud of them as they began to embrace their own lives.

Semper Fi

Memorial services celebrating his life will be Saturday, the 26th of March at two o’clock in the afternoon at H.M. Patterson & Son Arlington Chapel, 173 Allen Rd., NE, Sandy Springs. Inurnment will follow with Military Honors at Arlington Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be directed to the Fisher House Foundation.