BENJAMIN FORD

1940 - 2019

Mr. Benjamin Ford was born on August 18, 1940. "Ben or BJ," short for Benjamin, was the fifth of seven children born to William and Beulah Ford in Thomasville, GA. He was predeceased by his parents, William and Beulah; and siblings William, David, Laura, Virginia, and David Lee. At the age of three, Ben's family moved to Tampa, FL, where he attended elementary through high school. It was during his eleventh grade year while visiting one of his buddies who attended Middleton Senior High School where Barbara was enrolled that she saw him and said later to her classmate, Johnnie, Wow! who was that guy with you today? Johnnie's reply was, that was BJ, a student at our rival school, Howard W. Blake High School. "Barbara's only reply was": I am going to get him and she did. In fact, they met in June of 1958 and were married on August 26, 1962, 61 years later, she still had him and he had her. Their fifty-seventh wedding anniversary would have been on August 26, 2019. Ben served honorably in the U.S. Army for 22 years where he was stationed at several stateside installations and overseas. Barbara, a Social Studies major wanted to see the world she taught about and Ben made that possible. His assignments in Germany and Korea afforded them the opportunity to visit: Paris, France, Austria, Switzerland, East Berlin (special permission was required at the time), Spain, Yugoslavia, Italy, Sweden, and numerous other places. Ben loved people and children, not pets. He was instrumental in establishing a reading program at Woodlawn Learning Center in Hopewell for students utilizing brothers from Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He also coordinated a schedule with his Pinochle Club (Club 36), and a few of his retired military friends almost every week, for one of the three groups to read or assist students with reading problems.

In April 2007, the students at Woodlawn Learning Center in grades Kindergarten through third held a surprise assembly in his honor. Ben was surprised and overwhelmed to be thought of by the students and teachers. Skits, songs, and dancing were the order of the day! The one song that stood out was: "You Are My Sunshine, My Only Sunshine." His excitement and appreciation for what was done in his honor, kept him awake for several nights. He truly smelled his flowers before he was called home. He worked with the Petersburg Elementary School system on the Assault on Illiteracy Program whereby a brother visits the school and listens to a child read for a minimum of 20 minutes. Upon retirement in 1985, Ben involved himself in supporting the Children's Home of Virginia Baptist. On Saturdays, you could find Ben sitting at a table on Sycamore Street in Petersburg selling raffle tickets to raise funds to build a multi-purpose center for children at the home. He did very well in his efforts to raise money. In his church, St. Stephens Episcopal, Ben worked diligently with the Food Feeding Program chaired by Edna Humphrey. When he began experiencing problems walking, Edna and the committee members retired him. Not to be outdone, Ben continued to support the feeding program financially. For many years, Ben and Barbara hosted a holiday party at the Beaux Twenty Club, where guests were asked to bring can goods for needy families. The responses were boxes and boxes of canned goods given to the Salvation Army for needy families. Ben and Barbara also donated bicycles (male & female) to elementary students at Stuart and Westview Elementary Schools in Petersburg, VA who had good scholastic averages. They also donated bicycles for Christmas to low income families through a church in Richmond, VA. As a "Die-Hard" Omega Man, Ben received several honors. He was selected by his brothers and received the "Omega Man of the Year Award" and the Superior Service Award. He would not permit his name to be submitted for any other awards. He firmly believed that everyone should have a chance at being recognized for their work. Additionally, this brother served as the Chairman/Co-Chairman of the Achievement Week Committee and for 11 years and he also served as the Chairman/Co-Chairman of the Mardi Gras Committee for 11 years where he was the sole stalwart of personally generating the highest sum of revenue for this event, thereby assisting the fraternity in its annual scholarship fund drive. Before his health began to decline, there was never a project the fraternity was involved in that he was not a part of. He loved working with The Male Protégé Program (TMPP), an extension of the fraternity's mandated scholarship program designed to inform young intelligent male juniors and seniors in high school about positive male role models in the community. Yearly during Black History Month, he and a few other Omega brothers went to local schools and hosted a Black History Program to help students acquire more knowledge about our heritage. Ben awarded $2.00 bills to students who answered questions correctly after each session. Helping brothers was a must as he proved when Brother Nathaniel Elliott decided to run for County Supervisor in Prince George County where they both resided. He and Brother Elliott drove and walked many miles over the river and through the woods seeking voter support. As a result of their efforts, Brother Elliott became the first African American Supervisor in Prince George County, VA. Ben also served on the Prince George Rezoning Board for a number of years. The final thing that he and Barbara did before his death was, established the Benjamin and Barbara Hepburn Ford Scholarship Fund that was awarded to a student from Petersburg High School in 2016. Barbara plans to continue to carry the Torch of Education that they started. If ever a man lived by the four cardinal principles of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.: Manhood, Scholarship, Perseverance, and Uplift, it was Benjamin Ford.

Ben leaves to mourn but will continue to love him deeply: his forever love, Barbara Anne Hepburn Ford; brother, Abner Ford; nieces, Terry Roe (Johnny) and Mariel Love; great nieces, Jasmine and Genesis Roe, Sydney Love; nephews, Sheriff Willie Parker, Jr., Robin Pasqal, Tony Parker (Tondra), and Keith Ford, all of Tampa, FL; former brother-in-law and friend, Nathan Love of Kansas; a special god-son, Samuel E. Andrews, and a devoted mother-in-law, Mary C. Hepburn of Florence, SC, Bernard and Theresa Clark; James and Cleo Billups, all from Tampa, FL; a host of extended family members and friends.

Service will be held 1:00 p.m. Saturday, August 17, 2019, at St. Stephens Episcopal Church, 228 Halifax Street, Petersburg, VA. The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. will have their Omega Service from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday, August 16, 2019, at the funeral establishment.

J.M. Wilkerson Funeral Establishment, Inc., 102 South Avenue, Petersburg, VA, (804) 732-8911, www.jmwilkersonsince1874.com.