Benjamin Stillman Howe

October 7, 1951 – June 1, 2024

Born in Illinois, Ben spent most of his childhood and adult years in Charlotte, North Carolina. His final years were in St. Petersburg, FL, with his wife Tricia. Ben had a tremendous dimpled smile, a twinkle in his eye and a magnificent beard that made you think of Santa Claus. As a teen, Ben discovered an interest in theatrical design and set construction with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Theater Bicentennial production of The Hornet's Nest in 1968—an interest that continued to grow during his student years at Connecticut College. Returning to Charlotte in 1978, Ben became involved with Charlotte Opera, Children's Theater, and teaching theater tech at Queens College. Ben served as shop manager for Charlotte Opera, was a dedicated member of the entertainment union IATSE, worked on productions at Ovens Auditorium, the Charlotte Coliseum, Spirit Square, the Blumenthal Performing Arts center, and on numerous films throughout the Carolinas. Ben enjoyed lifelong connections with friends from college, IATSE coworkers, and many people in the arts community. Ben was a voracious reader, a lover of words and puzzles of all kinds, and a fan of all sorts of music.

Ben was married to fiber artist Dorothy Williams in 1986 until her death in 2000. In 2003, he and Tricia D Hall, who survives him, were married. Ben was a loving husband, brother, and uncle to many. Ben was predeceased by father David L Howe, mother Nancy Howe, and brothers David and Fisher. He is survived by wife Tricia, and siblings John (Karen) of Skillman, NJ, Tom (Mary Head) of Putney, VT, Steve (Meg Ryan) of Northampton, MA, Sarah of Durham, NC, Maria (David Lyons) of Annville, PA, Clarissa (Steinar Simonsen) of Wilmington, NC., and many nieces and nephews.

The family hopes to celebrate Ben's life at some future date. Contact a family member for details. To honor Ben, send a donation to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration at www.theaftd.org , the IATSE Membership Assistance Program at https://iatsecares.org/disaster-relief-through-walsh-di-tolla-spivak-foundation/ or the Entertainment Community Fund https://entertainmentcommunity.org , or to a charity of your choice.

Link to photo of Ben https://photos.app.goo.gl/5NFUz9oGb6GukPd99