Ben Stasen

Danville - Ben Stasen, 93, of Danville, passed away on January 24, 2014. He was born March 15, 1920 in Terre Haute, IN the son of Joseph and Mary Gragsczuite Stasen. He married Barbara Balbach on May 7, 1947 in St. Louis, MO. She survives He is also survived by his Daughters, Sandy (Bob) Lucas, and Lori Hancock; his grandchildren, Nikki, Joshua, Megan, and Laura; and his great-grandchildren, Gage, Ethen, and Dominic. He was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings, Fritz, Mary, Ann, and Bernard. Ben served his country his entire life; he was in the pacific during WWII. After the war he became an “Engineer” for the Danville V.A. where he was a carpenter and a general handy man. People at the V.A. would know Ben by a different name, they called him Gentle Ben. He was a past member of The American Legion and a member of NARFE. Ben also enjoyed gardening, he was an avid wood worker, and loved his dogs. Above all else, Ben loved his family; he will be sorely missed by anyone who was fortunate enough to have known him. A celebration of Bens life will be held at 2pm on Friday January 31, 2014 at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, A Life Celebration Home in Danville. A visitation will be held on Thursday from 4pm to 6pm at the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made in Bens name to the Vermilion County Museum, or to the Vermilion County Humaine Society. Please join the Stasen Family in sharing memories, pictures, and videos of Bens life on his tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.