Ben Terry

1983 - 2023

“I Trust God’s Plan”

Benjamin Jackson (Ben) Terry, of Lake Charles, LA, won his battle on August 13, 2023. He passed into the loving arms of Jesus, surrounded by his loved ones.

Ben was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi on February 23, 1983, to Kathy Cummins Rone and Jack Glen Terry.

He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Jimmy Rone; father and stepmother, Gail Terry; stepbrother, Grant Myrick (Rachel); grandmother, Betty Sue Rone; aunts, Becky Burrel, Hazel Hill, Dorothy Otts and a host of extended family and friends.

Ben was preceded in death by his uncle, Tim Cummins; aunt, Sara Cummins; maternal grandparents, Pauline and S H “Bubba” Cummins; paternal grandparents, Juanita and L S Terry; and uncle, Jimmy Terry.

He graduated with honors from Kosciusko High School in 2001 and graduated as Valedictorian from Holmes Community College in 2003. He then attended Mississippi State University, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Meteorology. Ben professed his faith in Jesus Christ at an early age. He was of the Baptist faith and recently moved his membership to First Baptist Church of Lake Charles. While at Holmes and Mississippi State University, Ben volunteered for multiple mission trips with the Baptist Student Union. He also worked as a camp counselor at Camp Barnabas in Purdy, Missouri and at Camp Oasis in Burton, Texas. He was deeply devoted to his faith and service to others. Ben had a love for math and science and a passion for music, radio and television. Following his college graduation and work in Jackson, Mississippi, Ben moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana and where he began his career as a meteorologist for station KPLC. Lake Charles would become home for Ben. He was active in the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization and joined the Mardi Gras Krewe De Embrasser Le Bon Vie. He also has been active in Relay for Life and has served as chairman. He became a household name working at KPLC, known affectionately by his viewers and fans for over a decade as Meteorologist Ben Terry. During this time, he became a Lifetime Member of the National Weather Association and received their Special Achievement Award in 2022.  He also received Prestige Awards from the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters in 2021 and 2022. Ben used his broadcasting gifts in Lake Charles to host a nighttime radio show, where he played his favorite oldies hits. Just a few months after Ben’s home and the KPLC studio were destroyed by Hurricane Laura in 2020, he received a cancer diagnosis. Despite all the trials to come, Ben stayed optimistically positive, and on the air. Many times, his broadcast was remote from a hotel while receiving cancer treatments at Houston Methodist and M.D. Anderson in Houston, Texas. Throughout the past three years, Ben inspired millions of people around the world, even appearing on a Today Show segment that brought hope to viewers around the country.

Ben’s family will always be grateful for the host of friends in Lake Charles who made him feel like he was at home in Southwest Louisiana.

Services in Ben’s honor will be at 1:30 PM Wednesday, August 16, 2023 at University Baptist Church.  Dr. Johnny Dammon will officiate.  His service will be livestreamed via First Baptist Church of Lake Charles Facebook page and KPLC Live, website, Facebook page and ROKU. Visitation Tuesday will be from 3:00 PM until 8:00 PM in the Chapel of Johnson Funeral Home. Visitation Wednesday will be at University Baptist Church from 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM. 

Services in Mississippi will begin with visitation Friday from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM and will resume Saturday at 9:00 AM until the time of service at Culpepper Funeral Home in Kosciusko, MS.  Funeral services Saturday will be at 10:00 AM in the funeral home.  Interment services will follow at Parkway Cemetery in Kosciusko, MS.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages gifts to the newly established Ben Terry Fund at the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana.  The fund will continue Ben’s commitment to the region by supporting causes important to him, such as First Baptist Church of Lake Charles, Hobo Hotel, American Cancer Society, Hope Lodge, and Abraham’s Tent.  (www.FoundationSWLA.org,  PO Box 3125, Lake Charles, LA  70602)