Benjamin Speer Jr.

1951 - 2016

Benjamin Speer Jr

March 11, 1951 -
January 24, 2016

Benjamin Speer Jr ended his fight with cancer early Sunday morning, January 24, 2016, at PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend, Springfield, OR.

He was born March 11, 1951 in Ogden Utah, the second of six sons born to Lydia Randall Speer and Benjamin Speer Sr. He graduated in 1968 from Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah and soon moved to Bremerton, WA where he then graduated as a Marine Machinist from the Naval Shipyard 4 year apprentice program. A year later Ben moved down to Oregon's Willamette Valley and made many lifelong friends while competing in local adult pool and softball leagues, including his first wife Alison. He started working in the warehouse of Spectra-Physics (now DataLogic) driving truck in the 1980's, and worked his way up to SAP Business Analyst. He was able to travel all over the world, meeting new friends and sharing his knowledge, until his health recently forced an early retirement.

In his free time Ben enjoyed spending many days on the golf course. He recorded two hole-in-ones, one of which he made with his famous 11- wood. Ben was also an avid hunter all his life. He was very successful, and loved sharing his expertise, stories, and memories around the campfire at elk camp. He was an excellent pool player and an amazing third baseman. The only thing he tried that he was not good at was bragging about his accomplishments.

Ben is survived by his wife Diana Buss Speer of Veneta, OR; his daughter Kimberly Anne Speer of Eugene, OR and his son Julian Randall Speer of Hermiston, OR; four brothers: Mike (Lorraine) Speer of Washington, Robert (Marianne) Speer, Anthony (Trish) Speer, and Jack Speer all of Utah; three step-children: Kammie (Mark) Beaty, David Lockwood, and Todd (Lori) Hollenbeck all of Oregon; many other relatives and friends close enough to be counted as family. He was welcomed to the afterlife by his parents, his brother Jeff, and many other guardian angels.

The family would like to especially thank the staffs of Dr. Fitzharris at the Willamette Valley Cancer Institute and the 7th Floor North at PeaceHealth Riverbend. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cancer Research Institute or the American Indian College Fund.

There will be a Celebration of Life held at The Noti Pub, Noti, OR on Saturday, April 9th at 2:00pm. Bring your stories, pictures, and memories.