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RASKOB -- Benjamin Green December 14, 1922 - June 17, 2009 Ben was the youngest of the 13 children of John Jakob Raskob and Helena Green Raskob. He was born just north of Wilmington, Delaware, and much of his childhood was spent near Centreville on the eastern shore of Maryland. In the late 1930's, he came west on a trip with his mother and discovered the Los Alamos Ranch School which he attended until it was transformed into the Manhattan Project. Ben joined the Navy, serving 39 months overseas during WWII in various Pacific theater actions including the Guadalcanal and Philippines Campaigns, principally on a flag destroyer as a radioman and encoder. After the war, Ben entered the University of Arizona in Tucson and studied agriculture. There he met Rita Russell of Tulsa, Oklahoma. They married in 1947. They settled at "Rancho Verde" near Polvadera, New Mexico, and raised registered Herefords for nearly 20 years. Ben and Rita also built a home in Albuquerque so that Ben could pursue other business endeavors, including an investment in Shop Rite Foods (Piggly Wiggly) in the 1950's and 1960's. Ben was a devout Catholic, supported the Church worldwide, and worked closely with the Archbishops and other leaders on many initiatives within the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. He served on countless boards and volunteered his time for many church, civic and nonprofit groups. Some of those include the Boys Scouts, Casa Angelica, the Santa Fe Opera, and his beloved Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities where he served as President for 19 years. Whether he was using his knowledge and influence to raise, invest, or distribute money; his amateur radio and EMT skills to aid stranded and injured hikers from the Sandia Mountains; or his time helping lost shoppers find their cars in Coronado Center, Ben always met people with humility, joy, kindness, and a sense of humor. In the early 1990's Ben's sister Patsy played cupid when she re-introduced Ben to a lifelong friend, Regina McCourt Maguire. In 1994 Ben and Regina were married and lived in Towson, Maryland. The years Ben spent with Regina were among the happiest of his life. They traveled together, worshiped together, and volunteered together at St. Joseph Medical Center. Regina nursed Ben thru the ups and downs of severe heart disease. Always his advocate, Regina stayed by Ben's side until the Lord called him home. Ben was preceded in death by his parents; ten of his 12 siblings; and, in 1978, the mother of his sons, Rita Russell Raskob. He is survived by his loving wife Regina McCourt Raskob; his sisters Patsy Bremer and Mary Louise Duffy; his five sons, Russell Raskob and his wife Elizabeth, William Raskob and his wife Kathleen, Richard Raskob and his wife Catherine MacLean, Charles Raskob, Jake Raskob and his wife Bonner; and his eight grandchildren, Chris and his wife Valerie Chowning, Mark and his fiancee Robin Russell, Leanne, Margaret, Claire, Max, Ben, and Ramona Raskob. He is also survived by Regina's children, Regina Dwyer, Marion Caslin, James Maguire, and Regina's ten grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Ben also is survived by many, many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Joseph Medical Center Foundation, Inc., 7601 Osler Drive, Towson, MD 21204; or Casa Angelica, 5629 Isleta Blvd SW, Albuquerque, NM 87105.
        Published on: Sun June 28, 2009