Howard, Benjamin "ben" Stockton Obituary

Howard, Benjamin "ben" Stockton attended Elk Grove High School in Elk Grove, CA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Howard, Benjamin "ben" Stockton.

Graduation Year	Class of 1934
Date of Passing	Aug 29, 2016
About	Benjamin (Ben) Stockton Howard, a longtime rancher in Elk Grove died Aug. 29, 2016 at the age of 99. Member of a pioneer family, all eight of his great-grandparents and their families were in California by the early 1850s. He was born March 26, 1917 in Gardnerville, Nevada to Ernest and Lucretia Howard and started high school in Burlingame where he was an Eagle Scout. He transferred to Galt High School in 1933, graduating in 1934 after becoming senior class president, editor of the yearbook, and valedictorian. Due to the Great Depression, Ben was unable to attend college but spent the next few years putting together his ranch and growing various crops including seed clover for which he invented a vacuum cleaning harvester. During World War II Ben served in the U.S. Army 40th combat engineers and was in Europe from June 1943 to November 1945. He rose to the rank of T.Sgt 4 and was awarded a Bronze Star for rescuing trapped soldiers under fire at the crossing of the Rhine on March 26, 1945, his 28th birthday. On April 29 he was at the liberation of the notorious Dachau concentration camp. Ben married Gladys Sherman (nee Gilbeau) of Lodi in Gardnerville on Dec. 27, 1950. He was very active in various organizations including being president of the Elk Grove School Board, president of the Lower Cosumnes Soil Conservation District, president of the National Wool Marketing Association, vice president of California Livestock Marketing Association, board member of the California Livestock Production Credit Association, and director of California Wool Growers who named him Sheepman of the Year in 1994. In 1998 Ben discovered the largest stony meteorite ever found in California and it is now on display at Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. In 2005 at the age of 88 Ben planted 40 acres of pistachio trees as an “experiment” since they take seven years to produce. When he was 90 he wrote to a friend, “I can still do a day’s work, even if it takes me several days to do it!” Ben was preceded in death by his sisters, Marion and Alice, and his brother, Charles. He is survived by his wife Gladys who recently turned 100; daughter Liz Howard of Burlingame, sons Mark Howard of Orinda and Ernie Howard of Williamsburg, Va.; grandchildren Alex, Ian, Dan, Emily and Jonathan; great-granddaughter Aria; stepsons Bill Sherman of Elk Grove, Donald Sherman of Tucson, Ariz., and David Sherman of Lodi; and many step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. His family said, “Once when asked if he was proud of having had the acumen to recognize that the rock he found was a meteorite he responded, ‘If you live a long time you see a lot of things.’ Ben lived a long time and saw a lot of things.” - Information from the Elk Grove Citizen