Mr. Benton Randall Lyster

Benton Randall Lyster III died suddenly of an undiagnosed heart condition while skiing with his best friend last Saturday, May 1st, near his home in Bozeman, Montana. He was 28 years old. Ben left this world doing exactly what he loved and was with exactly who he wanted to be there, which is the last gift that we can give him. Ben was born in New Haven, CT and grew up in nearby Guilford. He was a high school graduate of the Hopkins School in New Haven and a graduate of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Ben was a consummate athlete and well-known locally for his achievements in baseball and basketball. At Hopkins, he was an All New England runner and was captain of the track and cross-country teams. After college, Ben moved to Bozeman, Montana. He loved the Great American West and was an avid skier, rock-climber, hiker, and all around outdoorsman. Ben was a smart, funny, inquisitive, and kind-hearted man. He didn't struggle against life, but took it as it came, with his wonderful, easy-going nature. Life took Ben to the streets of London, the island of Fiji, and to the Caribbean for steel drum tours. Ben loved his worlds – between snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, traveling the mountains of Thailand and summiting the passes and peaks of the West with his best friends, he never turned down an invitation to play. He truly lived life to the fullest. Ben is survived by his parents, Benton Randall Lyster II and Dianne McKinnon Lyster of Guilford; his sister, Amy Lyster of Boston, Massachusetts; his grandmother, Amy Carter Lyster of Fairfield; his aunt and uncle, Cassandra and Robert Lyster, and cousin, Philip Lyster of New York; and his loving partner Miss Cameron Bohn of Bozeman, Montana. Ben is also survived by numerous other friends and family he met along life's journey. Funeral services will be held this Saturday, May 8th at 2 PM at the First Congregational Church, 110 Broad Street, Guilford, Connecticut. A reception at the church will follow. Donations in Ben's honor may be made to the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, Ben Lyster Memorial Fund in Bozeman, Montana, Gallatin Valley Land Trust, attn: Ben Lyster Memorial Fund, PO Box 7021, Bozeman, MT 59771. Online: www.gvlt.org, Click the yellow "Donate Now" button. Under "Donation Information" select "In Memory". A window will pop up, enter Ben Lyster's name. Arrangements in care of the Guilford Funeral Home, 115 Church St, Guilford. For more information or to send an online condolence for the family, please visit www.GuilfordFuneralHome.com