July 27, 1960 – April 11, 2021
Beloved musician and entertainer, father, brother, uncle, cousin, friend died at home peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, April 11, 2021 at age sixty after a ten month battle with cancer. Ben was incredibly talented, generous and full of wit and humor, lighting up any room he entered.
A very proud lifetime Seattle resident born at Seattle General Hospital, he attended St. Joseph, O’Dea, and was graduated summa cum laude from Cornish College of the Arts, and was a member of the Aqua by El Gaucho family.
Ben leaves behind his loving partner of twenty two years, Bev Shimada, their new puppy, Louis, and Bev’s daughters and granddaughters. He is survived by son, Casey, daughter Jane (Andre) Parker and granddaughter, Teresa.
He was preceded in death by his parents, George and Mary Anne Fleck. He is survived by seven siblings: Anne (Pat) Little; Sara (Lee) Bennett; Paul; Monica (Marcus); Fred (Linda); Martha (Greg) Robertson; Jon (Lisa), former spouse, Teri (George) Tomosvari. Countless nieces and nephews will miss their Uncle Ben.
It was Ben’s wish to have his remains scattered in the Puget Sound referring to this as his “Commencement to the Sea”. Due to Covid and restrictions imposed, Ben’s memorial will be a private event. The family will be sharing a video of the remembrance on social media platforms.
Contributions can be made to Cornish College of the Arts, Swedish Cancer Care Alliance, or St. Francis House of Seattle.
Forever in our hearts, Ben, we will miss you.
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