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Benjamin Ainsworth
October 19, 1940 - April 25, 2017
BORN
October 19, 1940
DIED
April 25, 2017
FUNERAL HOME
1505 Lillooet Road
North Vancouver, British Columbia
Benjamin Ainsworth Obituary
Ben was born to the late Paul and Anne Ainsworth, in Tiverton, Devon, England, on October 19th, 1940. He attended Blundell's School and the University of Oxford in England, earning an honours degree in geology at the University of Oxford in 1962. He started his career as an exploration geologist with early experience in Ireland, Nigeria and Ghana. On immigrating to Canada, he joined Placer Development Limited ("Placer") in Vancouver within a week of arriving in the city in 1965. He worked with the company for 21 years, moving with his family to France, Toronto and Chile and returning to North Vancouver. During this time, he was best known for exploration work in British Columbia and the Yukon, leading to the 1972 discovery of the world-class Howard's Pass lead-zinc deposit.
In 1986, Ben formed the consulting firm of Ainsworth-Jenkins Holdings Inc. ("Ainsworth-Jenkins") with a friend and partner, David Jenkins. Key projects included gold and silver exploration in Nevada and Mexico, and discovery of the first reported marine alluvial diamonds in Sierra Leone.
As a liaison between industry and government agencies, Ben promoted growth in mineral exploration and development in Canada. Recognition came in 2013, when Ben and his son Garrett Ainsworth, received the Colin Spence Award for excellence in global mineral exploration for discovery of high-grade uranium in Saskatchewan with Alpha Minerals Inc. Ben was a committed, passionate geologist, tirelessly active in his field, and he will be missed by many friends in the mining community.
Ben married the late Donna Ainsworth in 1968 in Vancouver. He is survived by his sister, Sally Chaulk, his 3 grand-children and his 3 children, Yara Ainsworth of Zurich, Switzerland, Clea Roberts of Whitehorse, Yukon, and Garrett Ainsworth of North Vancouver.
Instead of flowers, please donate to the Canadian Liver Foundation BC: http://www.liver.ca/clf-chapters/locations/british-columbia/
A Celebration of Life Service for Ben Ainsworth will be held on June 2nd, 2017, from 2 to 5 pm:
First Memorial Funeral Service, 1505 Lillooet Road, North Vancouver, British Columbia, T 604 980 3451
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Benjamin Ainsworth
16 Entries
Ibrahim Janneh
August 14, 2017
Ben RIP
Arnaldo Ismay
June 2, 2017
It was great to know someone who would always have a great smile and good conversation. Great person.
May 31, 2017
Ben was a good friend for many years. I will miss him greatly.
Derek McBride
Laurie Howard
May 21, 2017
Dear Yara, Clea, and Garrett,
I'm so very sad to hear of your Dad's passing. He was such a wonderful man. I am very thankful to have known him. I remember his generosity at holidays with our family and his passion for his life's work. Such an immense loss.
Peter Dasler
May 17, 2017
Over the 30 yrs since he interviewed me for a job Ben was supportive and helpful whenever I had a difficult question or interesting situation. It would have been great to work directly with him. He was a great explorer and a true "Gentleman". Garrett, you had a great Dad. My thoughts and condolences to you and your family.
Chris Keech
May 15, 2017
Ben was a wonderful man. He hired me to work for Placer Development as a summer student back in 1980. It was a great learning experience for me, and I went on to work for Placer Development and then Placer Dome Inc. for 25 years. Thanks, Ben.
Garkus Horacio Aejandro
May 10, 2017
I met him a few years ago and enjoyed a friendship in the distance and good talks. It was a pleasure to share good times with you.
G
May 8, 2017
My sympathy goes out to the Ainsworth family during your time of grief. A life well lived will surely be missed by many. As the days and weeks pass and as you return to life's routine, may you continue to feel comforted by the love of family and friends. I hope the words at 1 Thessalonians 4:13,14 can serve as a hope to you all.
Karl Schimann
May 5, 2017
Ben Ainsworth possessed a rare combination of broad geological culture and inquisitiveness with the ability to think outside-the-box, an ability that explains his exploration successes. He applied this to many exploration domains, from uranium to diamonds, from North America to Africa. His exquisite courtesy made geological discussions a pleasure and he was always ready with a helpful suggestion or a novel idea
Karl Schimann
May 5, 2017
Ben Ainsworth possessed a rare combination of broad geological culture and inquisitiveness with the ability to think outside-the-box, an ability that explains his exploration successes. He applied this to many exploration domains, from uranium to diamonds, from North America to Africa and probably other areas I am not aware off. His exquisite courtesy made geological discussions a pleasure and he was always ready with a helpful suggestion and a novel idea.
Don Wright
May 4, 2017
Ben always treated me with kindness and patience. I will forever appreciate his attention and guidance. Thank you Ben.
Dan Jiricka
May 3, 2017
I first met Ben just over 4 years ago at one of Warren Stanyers annual uranium exploration group dinners in Saskatoon. To say the least, we had one of the most pleasant, interesting and thought provoking conversations that I have ever had. I was struck by Ben's positive personality as well as his practical nature as an mineral explorationist... characteristics that obviously have served him very well during his remarkable career. He spoke positively about his family, proudly talked about many travels and he shared his exploration visions and goals with me...a person that he just met! Above and beyond that, he listened too! We had several further meetings and phone discussions over the years, all of which had the same effect on me. What a great gentleman and geologist! He will be missed.....my condolences to Garrett and all of Ben's family.
Jim Cooney
May 3, 2017
I met Ben in 1982, when I joined Placer Development (later Placer Dome), and quickly discovered him to be one of the most interesting people working there, a source of never ending new thoughts about the world of minerals and a great multi-disciplinary conversationalist. After he left Placer in 1986, we continued our close interaction and friendship over the years. I deeply miss him now that he has left us.
Charles Roy
May 3, 2017
I only new Ben for about six years but always found him to very engaging, intelligent and passionate when it came to discussing mineral exploration techniques and more specifically uranium. Ben was very humble but his resume, highlighting his many discoveries speaks for itself. Ben will be dearly missed but certainly not forgotten by his many friends and colleagues in the geological community.
Thomas Hasek
May 3, 2017
Ben was a great friend and colleague, who always had time for discussions of all varieties, and was a fount of scientific information of all kinds. He will be sorely missed.
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Memorial Events
for Benjamin Ainsworth
Funeral services provided by:
First Memorial Funeral Services & Boal Chapel and Memorial Gardens1505 Lillooet Road, North Vancouver, BC V7J2J1