Benjamin David Fleet

EAST SANDWICH —

Benjamin David Fleet, 89, of East Sandwich, passed into eternal peace on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009, at Radius Health Care Center in Plymouth. He was surrounded by three generations of family during his final days.

One of seven children, he was born in Lamoni, Iowa, in 1920, to Agnes (Nelson) and Benjamin David Fleet. His childhood years were spent in rural Iowa and Lincoln, Neb.; he experienced the Great Depression and the dust bowl.

Ben met his wife, E. Lucile Hoxie, while attending Graceland College. Family legend has it that when Lucile stepped off the train in Iowa to begin her first year of college, he took his first glimpse of her and said, "That's the girl I'm going to marry." They were married in 1942, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and went on to spend 65 wonderful years together.

During World War II, Ben served as an officer in the Coast Guard, seeing action on an icebreaker in the North Atlantic and in the South Pacific. Soon after the war, he moved to Sandwich with Lucile, whose family was among the first residents of Ploughed Neck Road, and together they founded Fleetwood Cottages. In the 1950s, he planted acres of blueberry bushes on land, which is now known as Fleetwood Farms. He was in the tire business for more than 45 years, starting OK Tire in Sandwich, and later Fleet's Tire, a family-managed business in Falmouth.

Ben had a lifelong passion for civic involvement. He was a member of the Sandwich Finance Committee; the Sandwich School Committee for 18 years; various Wing School building committees; and was appointed to the Governor's Council to study school regionalization issues in Massachusetts. He was a Sandwich selectman in the mid-1970s; served on the Board of Trustees of Fisher Junior College; and was active in the Boy Scouts. He was a minister in the Community of Christ, pastoring congregations in Dennisport and Onset. He was a member for over 50 years of the DeWitt Clinton Masonic Lodge in Sandwich, where he was a 50-year medal recipient and was a Shriner and member of the Alleppo Temple Shrine. In recent years, he and his wife donated land to be used for The Homesteads affordable housing development in Sandwich, acres of conservation land, and the Kenneth Benjamin Fleet Skateboard Park in memory of their son Kenny.

Ben will be remembered fondly for his signature storytelling, sharing his charm and warmth with virtually anyone he met. He was also known for his fighting spirit and would never hesitate to stand up for what he thought was right.

In later years, Ben and his wife enjoyed boating and motorhome travel. His family will remember him loyally raising the flag on the 60-foot flagpole, holding generations of babies, innumerable rides with children on his tractor and golf cart, the "doody-do" song; and being the beloved patriarch of the magical fields of Fleetwood.

Ben is survived by two brothers, Bill and Rex Fleet of Denver, Colo.; four children, Donald Fleet, John Fleet, Suzanne McMillan, and Rick Fleet of East Sandwich; two daughters-in-law, Nancy Fleet and Candi Fleet; seven grandchildren, Tracy Fleet, Wendy Lucio, Alissa Fleet, Carolyn Barrette, Benjamin Fleet, Beth Burch, Kathryn McMillan; four great-grandchildren, Matthew and Griffin Lucio, and Kellen and Chase Barrette; and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his wife, Lucile in 2007; son, Kenneth in 1965; and grandson, Scott McMillan in 2003.

Visiting hours will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, 2009, in the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 74 Algonquin Ave., at Route 151, Mashpee, in which a Coast Guard Honor Guard will present a flag to the family, recognizing his service and love of his country.

A celebration of Ben's life will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009, at the Community of Christ Campgrounds, at 339 Onset Ave., Onset.

A private burial will take place at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made to the Jimmy Fund, 10 Brookline Place West, Brookline, MA 02445.

For online guest book, obituary and directions, please visit www.ccgfuneralhome.com.