Benjamin Michael Gaynes departed this mortal life on Thursday October 5, 2023. Ben was a deeply sensitive and nurturing brother with a generous heart. He had a playful spirit and loved to make others laugh. He played the piano and violin and participated in the Youth Symphony. He had a love for reading and won first place in a short story contest during middle school. He was an Eagle Scout and excelled on his high school swim team. Ben earned a brown belt in karate, and later trained in Mixed Martial Arts. He was a determined person who followed through once he was committed. He completed the rigorous Combat Controller Training in the United States Air Force earning the elite Red Beret. The motto of an Air Force Combat Controller is "First There", descriptive of undertaking the most dangerous of missions behind enemy lines. For his service in Afghanistan, he was awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with Valor. He loved taking care of his family with the food he made and was very creative with the recipes he developed. He entered the Spiedie Fest cooking competition and afterwards, casually announced that he had won first place for his original recipe of beef spiedies. Ben had many accomplishments in his adult life. He was a skilled and artistic wood worker and welder. He was a certified personal trainer, taught fitness classes in the community, and enjoyed practicing yoga. Ben was a very loving and fun uncle to his nieces and nephews. Ben was an avid nature lover and enjoyed being outdoors as much as possible. He adored his loyal dogs, Dutch and Argos, and had many adventures with them. He was a warrior in life.

He is preceded in death by his beloved dog, Dutch. He is survived by his parents: Michael and Leslie; his siblings: Jessica, John, Rachel, Leah, Michelle, Samuel, and Joanna; his brothers-in-law: Brett Eide, Travis Andrew, Kevin Burgess, and Jacob Hartman; his nieces and nephews: Audrey, Phoenix, Alexis, Henrick, Felicity, Jaxon, Zachary, Royal, Alexander, and Aaron; and his devoted dog, Argos. Ben is loved and he is missed.

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