MOST OF YOU PROBABLY didn’t know Ben Lauren. I didn’t. I never met the young man. Much of what I know about him is what I’ve gleaned from his obituary and the many other tributes dedicated to him since his tragic passing in 2020.
Here is what I’ve learned … Ben grew up in Gwinn, the son of Ron and Carla Lauren. He spent much of his time involved in the kinds of activities typical of what you’d find on a farm. He did chores, worked the fields, and became active in 4-H, where he trained and showed hogs and steers. He hunted, rode four-wheelers with family and friends, followed NASCAR, and enjoyed country music. He was a person of faith, with a work ethic suggesting a “get ‘er done” attitude.
While Ben’s experience and education positioned him for a successful career in engineering and skilled labor, his true passion was in firefighting. According to his dad, he got started early as a member of the Forsyth Township Fire Department. “He was a fire cadet at age 14 and a firefighter at the age of 18. He became a captain of the department at the age of 21.”
It could be that fighting fires was a manifestation of the kind of person Ben was. Ron says, “He was passionate about helping others throughout the Upper Peninsula. He was an individual others reached out to for a mental health break, or assist with anything anyone would ask for.”
Though this Memorial Day weekend is meant to honor service men and women who wore our nation’s military uniforms, I don’t think any of them would object to us also memorializing Ben Lauren, who lost his life fighting a fire… in service to his community, on March 13th, 2020.
There are many ways to contribute to your area’s quality of life, and some of those include jobs that are more fundamentally dangerous than others. Having grown up in a fire fighting family, Ben was fully aware of the perils inherent in such a commitment. Ron explains, “Ben, along with our other two children, was community oriented and always looking for ways to help others without wanting or needing anything in return. Our internal family saying is… It’s what we do.”
Since the summer of 2020, family and friends of Ben have put on a livestock show in remembrance of his years in 4-H. The livestock show allows exhibitors to compete with other individuals on how well they are able to train, connect with and utilize their skills working with their different breed of animals.
Now you can help celebrate Ben’s life while raising money for the Ben Lauren Memorial Foundation at the inaugural Ben Lauren Memorial Livestock Show Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser. It’s tomorrow morning (Saturday) from 9 to noon at the Up North Lodge Event Center in Gwinn. You can find the details at Pancake Breakfast.
I asked Ron what Ben would think of all the activity surrounding the memory of his life. “Ben was very humble and certainly wouldn’t want this if he was alive. He was the one that was making sure others were remembered and never wanted recognition for it.”
Ben was born on Flag Day… June 14th, 1996. When you put your flag out this weekend to honor our fallen military heroes, make sure you include Ben Lauren in your thoughts and prayers. Even though he wouldn’t ask for it, I think he’d appreciate it.
To get more information regarding traditional Memorial Day celebrations hosted by area American Legion installations, you can contact the post nearest you. Those can be found in Little Lake, Munising, Marquette, and at the Greenwood Location west of Ishpeming.