[Membership] Passing of Ben Lanterman

[Ed White]

To those that loved Ben,

Benny Joe Lanterman, known to most of you as Ben, passed away on Sunday,
July 17, at 3:25 PM, at the age of 73, after a long period of declining
health. He was under hospice care at a nursing home in St. Charles,
Missouri. His wife of 51 years, Bonnie Lou Lanterman, was with him. He was
buried at St. Charles Memorial Gardens.

Ben was born on December 22, 1942, in Cuero, Texas, to parents James Linton
Lanterman and Quinnada Lanterman. He received a bachelor's degree from
Purdue University, where he met fellow student Bonnie Barron, who became
his wife on April 3, 1965. They moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1965, where
Ben started work as an aeronautical engineer. They joined the Florissant
Church of Christ, where they volunteered as Sunday school teachers. Ben
took photos for the church directory and built an educational
R2-D2-inspired robot called OT-NT (Old Testament-New Testament). Their son,
Aaron David Lanterman, was born on July 9, 1971; their grandson, Zachary
Xavier Lanterman, was born on April 4, 2008.

Ben had a lifelong fascination with airplanes, both large and small. He
worked his entire adult life at McDonnell Douglas, playing key roles in the
development of aircraft such as the F-15, and retiring in 1996. He also
designed, built, and flew model airplanes, and authored reviews for model
aviation magazines. He was an accomplished photographer, specializing in
nature and aviation photography. He was also an award-winning painter, and
enjoyed sculpting polymer clay. He was an early pioneer of computer art,
winning contests in several magazines as well as a family trip to Japan
sponsored by Epson.

Many years ago, Ben wrote the first draft of a letter to be sent to friends
and family in this event, which he updated over the years. He last updated
it around Christmastime in 2014, and it reflects his most recent thoughts
during the last time when he could fully and clearly articulate them. This
letter, included below, is written from his heart, and his voice speaks to
us all; please read it with care and attention. We have respected, and will
continue to respect, his wishes expressed therein, and request that you do
the same during this difficult time.

With love,

Aaron and Bonnie Lanterman

————————————————————————————————————————

Date:  To Be Determined by God

Dear Family, Church Family, Friends, and Acquaintances,

  Many of you may know that in 1999 I had a near death experience – as I
found out these can be very interesting at times! In my case it was the
result of a major heart attack.  This resulted in my having emergency heart
surgery including five bypasses and a new heart valve.   At that time the
doctors estimated that I probably had three years to live.   These kinds of
experiences can cause one to have new ways of looking at things. One of
these is what we typically do when a person dies. I talk about this later
on in this letter.

  With many blessings from God, and the work of many talented doctors, I
have exceeded those expectations.  Along the way I have been hampered with
pain resulting from arthritis and joint problems.  Getting old isn’t all
that great at times but I honestly can’t complain too much.

  In 2007, I had a second extremely serious heart surgery.   This time no
estimates for the years left were given!  I believe they thought I was
lucky just to survive the operation!

  It might seem that I am complaining at times, but, all things considered,
when I think about the severity of my heart problems, I really don’t have a
lot to complain about.  I have been blessed with the unwavering help of my
wonderful wife, Bonnie.   This has allowed me to continue exploring my
favorite hobbies - model airplane flying, photography, painting, polymer
clay sculpture, and computer graphics.  I also spend many hours a day
thinking about what is going to happen to my eternal soul when I do die.
It will be an interesting experience.

  But I am also very much a realist.  I know that I will die in a few
years, and I know that I must prepare, not only myself, but others,
concerning both my death and what plans I wish to be carried out at the
time of my death.  To that end, Bonnie and I have gone to Baue funeral home
in St. Charles, where we have purchased a burial plot and set up final
plans.

  My burial wishes are very simple – I am to have a direct burial with no
funeral or memorial.

  Again – and this is important to me – I do not wish to have any form of
funeral or memorial.  Any money you would spend coming to my funeral could
be better spent on yourself enjoying your favorite pastime, enjoying it in
my memory.  Another use of this money would be this – my church building is
always in need of repair, so if you wish to donate anything in my name you
can send your donation to the Florissant Church of Christ, 16460 New Halls
Ferry Road, Florissant, MO 60301.

  Bonnie is a strong independent woman, but at a time like this, she will
need your support and love. Please be there for her, as life sometimes gets
complicated, even more so with a seemingly strange final burial wish like
mine.

With love,

Ben



Ben will be missed.  We are all the better for having known him.

Ed White
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