Benjamin J. Roloff

We are sad to hear that Ben has passed away; he was such a great man and will be deeply missed. We have very fond memories of Ben as a `stand-in´ father (during our respective year as exchange students), as a teacher, friend and caring person. He helped us understand the U.S., grow as individuals and made sure we had a great time during our year as students and at later visits.
We are very grateful to Mary Rose and Ben for what they have given our family in terms friendship and hospitality.
Ben, rest in peace.
We send our thoughts and condolences to Mary Rose and the family.
Take care,
Love,
Asa and Pelle

Ben was a member of the News and Issues class for years in our Sun City Lifelong Learning club, where the class selects the topics to discuss week to week. He would listen intently to all the comments and perspectives and then step in to summarize the most important position. With wisdom and humor on full display, he left us with a summary that we all could take home and savor. Ben was a gift to everyone who met him; we feel his loss keenly, but we imagine all the angels are overjoyed at the newest member in their midst.

As a docent at the Sun Cities museum I met Ben many times over the years and had great conversations with him. He was one of a kind and will be missed.

This is the man that not only welcomed me to Sun City, AZ, but smiled upon me at every greeting. As a child, I had a few teachers that stayed in my memory due to their "kind educating nature". Ben will remain in my memory as the best "kind educator" of my senior life.

I met Mary Rose in a Grace Community Bible Study but never had the pleasure of meeting Ben. After reading about his life and the tributes written by others, I am left feeling that I would really like to have known him too. Even after he is with his father in heaven, he is touching and inspiring us to do more for others in the time we have here on earth. Thank you, Mary Rose and all of you, for sharing Ben with us.

I was one of three foreign exchange students that Ben and Mary Rose hosted when they were still living in Howard, WI. The picture shows Ben and me washing Mary´s Ford Tempo at the cottage up north, where we spent many weekends by the lake. Ben Roloff was all in one person: my host-father, economics teacher, driver-ed teacher, advisor and friend. My family and me kept visiting the Roloffs thereafter for decades and we are all losing a great friend. I´m very thankful for everything you and Mary did for me, Ben. Rest in peace.

I met Mary Rose in the book club I joined and my husband, Frank, and I met Ben at game night and Nancy and Richard´s house. We found Ben very personable And fun and Frank and I hoped we would get to do more things socially with Ben and Mary Rose in the future. We are so sorry that Ben has left this life and wished we had gotten to know him sooner, but I am so thankful that we did get to meet Ben and enjoy his company on that wonderful game night. I am sure Ben has left everyone he has ever known with wonderful memories while sharing his time and talents with them.

We met Ben and Mary Rose in Logan, Utah, where we were all enrolled in the Summer Citizens program at Utah State University. We were across the hall neighbors in our student apartments and often saw the Roloff's hiking all around the area. I remember the twinkle in Ben's eye anytime we were engaged in conversation. He will certainly be missed.

Ben inspired many with his stories and his commitment to local history. He will be remembered as kind and generous of spirit...

Ben, although I knew you for only a couple of years, I appreciate that you gave me 100% of your attention when we were in conversation together. Your support for the Lifelong Learning Club of Sun City was exemplary. May your next sojourn be as fulfilling, kind, and loving as your time with humanity on Earth. I am so grateful that we were able to share a little time together.

Many years ago the late Pastor John Wimber spoke being "otherly". In my eyes Ben was the epitome of otherliness. Thank you, Ben, for showing us how to live well and to "...esteem others better than ourselves." Surely your reward in Heaven will be great.

My favorite Ben story, i have hundreds of them BTW, but my most memorable was in 2006 after only knowing him for about 9 months. We had just been elected to the SCHOA board during a time of some upset. The entire staff quit that summer. By November, Ben had mapped out about 40 neighborhood walking routes to drop a SCHOA magazine we created on every door step. We needed to stuff them in bags to hang on doors. We picked a Saturday that i had to return to MN. I felt awful leaving it to Ben and the rest of the board. He on the other hand told me no worries. I called at 11 am to see how far short the 28,000 stuffed bags had fallen. He said, "we're done." I literally started bawling me eyes out. More than 300 community members showed up. Ben told me they had to turn people away. It proved to me the power of people who work together, something Ben knew and believed in. I never doubted him again, ever. He was that kind of man. We became best of friends and i will miss him everyday. Not in sadness, but in the joy he brought everywhere he went and to everyone he touched.