Harold Benson 'Ben' Robertson, 76

Harold Benson “Ben” Robertson, 76, of Kent, Wash., died July 1, 2009, in Tacoma, Wash.

He was born Aug. 27, 1932, in Chillicothe, the son of Palmalee Rogers Robertson and Harold Clifton Robertson.

Ben graduated from Mooresville High School and attended college in Omaha, Nebraska.

Ben married Cathy Connell Ross on Oct. 29, 1983, in Missoula, Mont. She preceded him in death in 2008.

Ben was a native of Utica, Mo., and moved from Missoula to Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1989.

He purchased the American Milling Company, a feed and grain mill. He sold the mill in 1997 prior to moving to the state of Washington.

A member of the Utica Baptist Church of Utica, Missouri, Past Master of the Missoula No. 13 Masonic Lodge A.F. & A.M. in Missoula and attended the Lodge  No. 42 in Sandpoint.

He also was a member of the Martha Chapter No. 34 Order of the Eastern Star in Sandpoint and a member of the Panhandle Shrine Club.

Survivors include one sister, Patricia Wagy Wright of Chillicothe, Mo.; two nieces, Cindy Singer of St. Louis, Mo., and Patrice Robertson of Chillicothe; a great-niece, Ashley Falkner of St. Louis, Mo; two stepdaughters, Brenda (Bryon) Siegrist of Boise, Idaho, and Barbara (Jake) Hilton of Sagle, Idaho; and four step-grandchildren and one step-great-grandchild.

Graveside memorial services will be held Friday, July 10, 2009, at Edgewood Cemetery in Chillicothe, Mo., at 1:30 p.m.

Memorials may be made to the Spokane Shriner’s Hospital, PO Box 2472, Spokane, WA 99210, and sent to Barbara Hilton, PO Box 1922, Sandpoint, ID  83864.

Services are under the direction of the Wright-Baker-Hill Funeral Home in Brookfield, Mo.