SMITH, Ben

Ben Smith, On January 3 our family lost our beloved Benjamin. He was a wonderful, caring and loving son to his mother and father, Paul & Becky. He cared deeply for his brother and sister, Aaron & Rachel. He will be deeply missed by his grandmothers, Norman Herbert & Shirley Ann Smith, his aunts, uncles, cousins and other extended family & friends. It is hard to understand why a person so beautiful, handsome, smart, and engaging and so caring of other people would be taken away from us at such a young age. He was a happy and positive person by nature and his quick smile would always captivate you. He was a hard worker always willing to do more than his share. Always willing to help his friends when they needed him. The memories we have of Benjamin are too many to recall now. Those memories of Ben will give us much to smile about as the years pass and will keep us warm. We will all miss him more than we can say. Hug your children, your friends, and your family every day because life is precious and short. You can never give too many hugs to those you love. Ben was born July 8, 1980 in Pullman Washington to Paul W. and Rebecca H. Smith. He went to school in Auburn WA, graduating from Auburn High School in 1998. He loved the game of baseball, and was an excellent player in high school. He moved to Phoenix in 1998 where he attended Arizona State University for 2 years. He loved to ride his motorcycle and was hit by a car while riding on Saturday evening, January 3, 2004. Funeral services will be Wednesday, January 7th with viewing one hour prior to service at Tempe Mortuary, 405 E. Southern Ave., Tempe. Memorial contributions may be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, 315 S. 48th Street, Tempe, AZ 85281. Published in the Arizona Republic and East Valley Tribune on 1/6/2004.