Still thinking of you, Ben.
Benjamin Edwin Klehr
May 13, 1997 – October 6, 2016
Loving son, devoted friend and bright light to all. He will be remembered for his kind, gentle spirit and his love for Christ.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. on Monday, October 17, 2016 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in St. Joseph for Benjamin E. Klehr, age 19, of St. Joseph. Fr. Jerome Tupa, OSB will officiate. Burial will take place in the St. Joseph Parish Cemetery in St. Joseph with full military honors.
Visitation hours will be from 4-8 p.m. on Sunday, October 16 and after 9:30 a.m. on Monday, both in the Heritage Hall at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in St. Joseph.
Ben was born May 13, 1997 in Duluth MN and passed away on October 6, 2016 at the young age of 19. Up until the age of 5 he and his mother Sarah Klehr lived in St. Cloud. From there they moved to St. Joseph, MN. He attended St. Joseph Lab School and then Kennedy Elementary. He graduated from Apollo High School in 2015. At the time of his death he was enrolled at Central Lakes College. He was studying to become a police officer.
Ben joined the Army National Guard and graduated from basic training in November of 2015 from Fort Benning, GA. He recently was promoted to the rank of Army Specialist. He was an avid long boarder. His musical interests ranged from rap to country music, to loving Frank Sinatra. Ben enjoyed swimming at the quarry with friends, traveling to Colorado with the group Young Life, admired loud pipes and fast cars, hunting, spending time with his mom, closest friends and his two cats Sasha and Dunn. He had a special connection to Duluth and camping in the BWCA.
Ben is survived by his loving mother Sarah Klehr (formerly from St. Joseph), Sarah’s fiancé Jeff Houdek and his children Francis and Sadie Sue, grandparents Ron and Carla Klehr, aunts and uncles Toni and Tim McEvoy, Jenny and Todd Hofstad, cousins Jack, Hank, Gus, and Sam McEvoy, Grace Hofstad and his half sister Peyton Brandt.
Ben is also survived by Charlie Section, 2nd Platoon, Bravo Troop, 1st Squadron 94th Calvary Regiment, 194th 5-15 Calvary, Troop Bravo (Fort Benning, GA), the “5 K’s” band of brothers, the “Joe Town Boys”, and countless friends and teachers he loved dearly.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Eagle’s Healing Nest and Young Life of Minnesota.
Guestbook
Ben, you make me very proud to be your PaPa. NaNa and I will always hold your spirit close in our hearts!
Hi I am sorry for the loss of your son and I will keep all of his family and friends and classmates in my thoughts and my prayers! I think I may have seen him around the college once or twice and I think I have met him to and he seemed like a great guy and I am sure that he is up in heaven rejoicing with the Lord where we all will be someday and what a day that would be God Bless you all!!
Ben….may GOD be with you always !! And may GOD give your family peace and comfort with your loss….you were a great man and an excellent student and colleague at CLC!!!!! You will be greatly missed at CLC and from your family, friends and all who loved you! Why God takes his children to be with him like yourself at such an early age we will never understand…..but you are “home” now…looking down at all of us……the time your family and us friends had the time we had to spend with you was a gift to us all…….GOD BLESS you my friend !!!!! With much love…..JoLene Elliott
Thank you Ben, for your service to the United States of America. Fellow military, retired. don
We are unable to attend the wake or funeral so i am sorry if this is too long…now a few words from my daughter Keyonnah Majors 9yrs. old…Ben I cried when I heard that you were gone…we had lots of fun and I liked when you let me help make up the activity schedule, played games with me…you made me laugh a lot! You were an awesome gym teacher and friend! You are one of a kind and I will never forget the ti.e we spent together! Thank you Ben for encouraging to do my best, you are in my heart always! Love, Keyonnah
Dear Ben’s family,
I send my deepest sympathy to your family and friends. I personally did not know Ben well, I have only had a few interactions with him and he was funny and very intuned with the kids. However I do remember one day my daughter and I were leaving and saw Ben on the playground with his clipboard in one hand and a bowl in the other filled with cucumbers and celery with ranch dressing so all 3 of us stood around talking and eating our veggies..it was nice. Please know your Ben has had such a wonder impact on my daughter and all the other children he worked with…thank you for raising such a fine young man. Your family and friends will be in our prayers!
Rest in Peace Ben, you are gone but will never be forgotten.
RIP Young Soldier, Thank you for your service. You will never be forgotten. We only were able to physically meet twice, Boot Camp and AIT, but you have forever touched my Son, PFC Thompson’s heart! Fly High Young Man.
Services
Visitation
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, St. JosephSchedule Details
Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. on Monday, October 17, 2016 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in St. Joseph for Benjamin E. Klehr, age 19, of St. Joseph. Fr. Jerome Tupa, OSB will officiate. Burial will take place in the St. Joseph Parish Cemetery in St. Joseph with full military honors.
Visitation hours will be from 4-8 p.m. on Sunday, October 16 and after 9:30 a.m. on Monday, both in the Heritage Hall at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in St. Joseph.