Benjamin W. Cloud

1931 - 2021

Benjamin W. Cloud
November 6, 1931 - August 3, 2021
El Cajon
Captain Benjamin Wallace Cloud (USN Retired) passed away peacefully at his home in El Cajon, California on August 3, 2021. He was 89 years old.Born in San Diego, California on November 6, 1931, the son of John Cloud, San Diego's first minority police officer, and homemaker Sarah Cloud, the family moved to a ranch in El Cajon when he and his brother Joel were children. There, Ben was a student at El Cajon Grammar School, was active in the First Presbyterian Church of El Cajon, and became a violinist, eventually playing for the State of California's Youth Symphony. In his years at Grossmont High School he developed an interest in flying.After graduating from Grossmont High in 1949, he attended San Diego State College then left to join the Navy and become a flier. His career of thirty-two years with the Navy included many illustrious positions. He served as the executive officer and commanding officer of a jet reconnaissance squadron at Naval Air Station Miramar; protocol officer for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson in the White House; fighter pilot of F-4 Phantom aircraft and his favorite the F-8; Executive Officer of the USS Kitty Hawk; Commanding Officer of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps at Texas A & M University; Commanding Officer of the U.S. Naval Support Activity in Naples, Italy; and Chief of Staff to the Commander at the Naval Base in Pearl Harbor.Following retirement, he served on the board of the San Diego Air & Space Museum and enjoyed spending time at his second home in Lake Arrowhead, California. Known as a consummate gentleman, he traveled the world and made a multitude of friends. So many have remarked that they are better people from just knowing him. Predeceased by his wife Diane (Daggs Ridgway), he will be greatly missed by his family. Private services are pending.