Photo courtesy of Heritage Funeral Home and Cremation Services - Sioux Falls
Dec 27, 1991 - Sep 29, 2025 (Age 33)
So sorry to hear! We will pray for you, your parents, siblings and your kids to find strength in God's loving arms and know He will be there for all of you, always.We send our deepest sympathies and prayers to all of you.
Mike, Laurie and Kallie Hanson
Laurie Hanson
September 30, 2025 | Yankton
I had the honor of getting to know Ben during his time at Interstates. His personality was deeply authentic and so refreshing. I will pray that God will tenderly carry your sweet family through your grief in days and weeks to come. The Lord IS close to the broken hearted. Much love and sympathy to the entire Whitley family.
Jaclyn Lamfers
September 30, 2025 | Sioux Center, IA | Coworker
So sorry thank the Lord He was ready but so young prayers for you and the kids
Faye Braak
September 29, 2025 | Tea, SD | Friend
Praying for your family.
Brenda Meier
September 29, 2025 | Yankton, SD | Friend
Benjamin Paul Whitley, age 33, of Tea, SD passed away unexpectedly on September 29, 2025 ,at the Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls.
Ben was born on December 27, 1991, in Sioux Falls, SD to Troy and Cate (Swanson) Whitley. He spent his earliest years in Sioux Falls before the family moved to Yankton, SD in 1997. He attended school in Yankton from kindergarten through high school, graduating in 2010, before heading off to the University of Sioux Falls to study Business Administration.
Ben married his high school sweetheart, Sara Watt, at Calvary Baptist Church in Yankton, SD on June 8, 2013. Their marriage was blessed with three children: Elyse, Oliver, and Isaiah. The family resided in Sioux Falls for many years before settling in Tea, SD.
Ben held various product management roles before landing his dream job at Smart Church Solutions in 2023. Although he loved his work, his faith and his family was his true passion. He loved the Lord with his whole heart and wanted to honor Him in everything he did. He served in various ministry roles at Faith Baptist Fellowship before helping to launch a second site of the church, Risen Hope Baptist Church, in 2018. When he wasn’t serving in the church or spending time with his wife and children, Ben enjoyed collecting as many cars as he could, fishing, hunting, and listening to his favorite band, Crowder.
Ben is survived by his wife, Sara, their three children Elyse, Oliver, and Isaiah, his parents Cate Swanson Whitey, Troy (Jody) Whitley, siblings Samantha (Brandon) Podhradsky, Kaitlyn (Matt) Duerr, and Noah (Mariah) Kottke, and numerous cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A visitation will be held at Heritage Funeral Home in Sioux Falls, SD from 4:00- 6:00 pm on Sunday, October 5, 2025. Funeral will be held at Faith Baptist Fellowship Church at 10:00 am on Monday, October 6, 2025. Internment at Hills of Rest Cemetery will immediately follow the service/luncheon.
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