In Memoriam: Uncle Ben (1942-2022)

My Uncle Ben would have been eighty years old today.  For the last several years of his life, I was his legal caretaker, a role I learned about after he had a bad fall and was determined to be unable to manage his affairs or life independently.  Uncle Ben named me in his legal documents as the person to take responsibility if he became incapacitated, which was a surprise to me but a role I accepted.  It's not something I have discussed much, except to a very few persons, and I have taken it very seriously.  It's been a huge responsibility and honor; I've done what I can to live up to the evident trust my uncle had in me.

His obituary, with a couple minor edits (and fewer photos) appears below.  It was written primarily to be printed in the Honolulu newspaper and various alumni publications.  It doesn't talk about his eye-rolling sense of humor, his fierce independence, and his photographic memory.  I wondered whether the hurricane season was so quiet because he was no longer around to reassure us and translate the reports for us, and have missed him and his interpretations during the last few weeks.

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Benjamin Cory Hablutzel, late of Honolulu, died peacefully in Cary, North Carolina, on May 31, 2022.  He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 12, 1942 to Charles Edward Hablutzel Jr. and Electa Marguerite [Cain] Hablutzel while his father, a PhD in physics from CalTech, was a key member of the team that developed the proximity fuze.

Many people in Honolulu remember Ben as a runner and, in later years, a walker, but his first sport was soccer, for which he received a letter at the Baylor (High) School, from which he graduated in 1960.  Before going to Baylor, he played soprano clarinet in the band at Midway Junior High School in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Ben followed his older brother, Philip, to Louisiana State University, where he joined the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and graduated in 1964 with a Bachelors of Science degree.  He then received a second B.S. in Meteorology from the University of Utah in 1966 and began his career with the National Weather Service.  Ben received a Master of Science from Colorado State University in 1970, with a thesis on “Cross Beam Wind Measuring Techniques”.

Ben’s first station with the National Weather Service was in Phoenix, where he focused on the weather satellites.  A few years he later moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, where he began running.  On December 17, 1977, he was honored as the 20^th person to achieve running the equivalent of the distance from the capital of Alaska to the capitol of the USA in Washington D.C., and back – a total of 10,810 miles, most of which he ran in 1976 and 1977.  He ran many marathons to achieve these miles, including his first Honolulu Marathon on December 11, 1977.

Uncle Ben in the 1977 Honolulu Marathon.

Uncle Ben in the 1978 Boston Marathon.

   

Ben qualified for, and ran in, the Boston Marathon in 1978.  Among Ben’s other achievements and awards are admission to the Society of Sigma Xi in 1969; status as an LSU “Golden Tiger”; and a letter from astronaut Frank Borman acknowledging his participation in NASA’s Manned Flight Awareness Program.  He was treasurer for the local chapter of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees. 

A few years after running in the Honolulu Marathon, Ben relocated to that city, still as Satellite Manager for the U.S. Weather Service.  Ben was willing to step up when needed, and became acting Deputy Meteorologist in Charge (“MIC”) while still the Satellite Manager, then also Acting MIC – with no new Deputy MIC or Satellite Manager.  Ben continued filling all three management positions for almost two years, and worked shifts regularly, including many night shifts.  His team was noted for their work reporting on Hurricane Iniki.  Ben retired as the Deputy Chief of the U.S. Weather Service in Honolulu and remained in the city until 2018.

Uncle Ben is on the left.

After a fall when he was on the Mainland to attend that year’s NARFE annual conference, Ben was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and dementia and accepted medical advice that he should remain closer to family.  He is survived by his older sister Caroline and her children Katy, Beth, and Yano; his older brother Philip, sister-in-law Nancy, and their children Margo and Bob; their grandchildren, and several cousins.

Ben asked that his ashes be scattered and his family will perform this ceremony at a future date.  If anybody wishes to make a donation in his honor, his family asks that you do so to Transitions LifeCare in Raleigh, NC, who provided support to Ben and the family in his final weeks, or to any non-political charity of your choosing.