Son of Doug and Cindy Ann Boehm, brother and best friend to Jason and Shelby, Ben came into this world on July 31, 1989 at 12:04 p.m. weighing in at almost 10 lb. in Regina. Because of his baby rolls as a baby he was nicknamed Puff a Lump. As he grew older and started to become himself, the nickname changed to what is still known today as "Bam Bam". Ben did everything to the fullest. If he was truly interested in something it was always all or nothing. He started his love for motors at a very young age. His dad was the first to realize this when the snow blower did not work. He went to check the fuel and found it to be a brick of ice. Ben at an early age thought he would help dad and had filled it full of fuel (water). Ben was also a free spirit. As a child he would just go outside (without telling anybody) and visit the neighbors. One of his favourite places was right next door having bonfires and roasting wieners. Growing up in Regina, Ben had a good Christian upbringing. He was part of the Beavers, Scouts, Air Cadets, Karate, Tae-Kwon-Do, and the Regina Boxing Club. His grandfather (papa), Arnie Boehm had coached Lennox Lewis and Ben looked up to him. Ben got to know Lennox at his papa's funeral many years ago and always wanted to get back in touch with him. School was not Ben's favourite place to be. He never quite got it and that was o.k. We told Ben to do his best; which is all one could ask for. It made him feel stupid is what he would say. He loved sports and if he was not perfect, he would get very frustrated; but who doesn't. His patience with himself was very scarce, as he always wanted to please people. Once when Ben was about nine the family went to Drumheller, AB. Ben had always had a fascination with dinosaurs and wanted to be a paleontologist. Since they were going to Calgary, AB, this would be the perfect opportunity to do a real dinosaur dig. A paleontologist was hired and the adventure began. This is where the dream of becoming a paleontologist faded a dinosaur bone is not to be taken out of the earth with a hammer and a chisel. (HAHA Bam Bam) The priceless look on the paleontologist face, when after explaining how many millions of years it took for moss to grow on rocks; only to have Ben pick it off the rock and say "this moss"? ... Oh my he was never afraid to ask a question. Now his timing well that is another story. Ben had many friends and extended families while growing up. Doug and Cindy Ann had moved from Ontario before starting their family, and as a result Ben had a lot of Aunts and Uncles and cousins he called family; although they were not blood relatives, they were still family. When Ben was 13 the family moved to Carlyle. He was a happy-go-lucky kid coming from a catholic school. He loved his BMX bikes and could do a cat walk for blocks. He would do tricks over and over again just to perfect them. He was also good at fixing bikes, as it was not uncommon to find Ben in the garage fixing his or somebody else's. Moving to Carlyle proved to be very tough on Ben. Like any city kid moving to a small town, it was hard to fit in. He played baseball for a bit but his struggles in school proved to be more of a challenge. He was a good looking young man and the girls did tend to notice. Even though he did not fit into the normal small town activities, he made the best friends any kid could ask for. There were about six of them, all you had to do is find one; you would find them all. Many times the tents were set up in the back yard, extension cords were plugged in, and t.v.'s and entertainment systems were carted outside. Mom would say Ben "do you really need all of that in the tents?" He would just give her that big smile and say "it's o.k. momma bear it will work. Can we have some pop and order pizza?" Ben took more at school that any child should ever have to take. He was raised to be a good Christian and although able to defend himself, he was told to turn the other cheek. However, being bullied at school happens to children of all types. This happened to Ben several times throughout his 12 years of school. These events also helped to mold Ben into the man he became. Being bullied himself; he had zero tolerance for anybody being bullied, although his way was not always the right way to handle many situations. He was very hard on the outside yet had the biggest heart. Then !!! came the cars motorcycles trucks anything with a motor. Did I say it had to be running? It didn't matter. He was convinced he could fix anything. He had his own bicycle repair thing going. It could not be called a business because that would suggest he would charge people. He was just excited to see the smiling face on the person after he fixed it. He was talented. He talked about one day starting his own repair shop. He would have done well. One other passion he had was being a volunteer fireman in Carlyle. He loved it and said one day he would be a fireman. He was unsuccessful at achieving his Grade 12, even though his favorite teacher Mrs. Big Eagle did try and help him. He thought he would go back and get his GED one day and then he would become a fireman. Plans changed as plans do for young people; the rig bug bit Ben. As a true roughneck he hardened around the edges, liked his toys, and proved to be all man. Ben was always proud of the muscles he had and knew that scars were sexy lol. When thinking of the scars he had; it would be a shorter list of where he did not have scars. From surgeries, motorcycle accidents, quading accidents, bmx accidents, sledding accidents, and just being himself accidents, the hospitals in Arcola and Weyburn knew Ben by his first name. Ben loved his family first, friends second and anything with a motor third. Ben also enjoyed hunting and fishing and often talked about the day that dad got his trophy buck. Doug, Cindy Ann, Jason and Shelby feel privileged to have Ben in their family. There is no doubt that Ben knew he was loved, as they told each other every chance they got. We will never truly understand what happened that terrible day he took his life. However, will continue to celebrate his life with fond memories; love and laugh the way that he would want it to be. Ben was predeceased by his grandparents, Arnie and Verna Boehm, Bill Myers and Marjorie Wilson and Victor Burrell; aunts, Pamela Boetteger, Cathy Burrell and Donna Hyland. Ben is survived by his loving parents, Doug and Cindy Ann Boehm of Weyburn; brother, Jason Boehm of Weyburn, and sister, Shelby Boehm of Regina; favourite critter, Misty (The Beagle); grandmother, Maureen Burrell of Harriston, ON; god parents, Del and Sam Dunlop of Airdrie, AB as well as numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives and friends. A Memorial Service was held on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 2:00 PM from Grace United Church, Weyburn with Reverend M. Barnabas officiating. Interment took place at Hillcrest Cemetery, Weyburn. Donations may be made in memory of Ben to the Canadian Cancer Society or to The Kidney Foundation. Condolences may be left at: www.fletcherfuneralchapel.com. The family of Ben Boehm would like to send a sincere appreciation and thank you to everybody for the kind words, hugs, food, flowers, cards, donations and prayers. As you all know Ben completed our family. He gave us everything a son/brother could give; love, laughter, and frustration. Ben was the best friend a person could have. He was always there when you needed him no matter what. Thank you for sharing your memories, for these memories will keep him alive in us forever. We will never know why his life was cut short. But what we do know is that while he was here with us he made us laugh and made us feel safe. We truly believe that is how he would like to be remembered. We would like to thank the paramedics, police, coroners office, professional services, and Fletchers' for their thoughtfulness and professionalism shown to our family. We would also like to thank Rev. Barnabas and the Grace United Church for the lovely service and lunch prepared for all of our friends and family. Last but not least we would like to thank Rene Jakubowski for putting together the awesome video of Ben and all of the family and friends that traveled many miles to be with us in our time of need.
-Doug, Cindy Ann, Jason and Shelby Boehm and Misty "The Beagle"
Arrangements entrusted to Fletcher Funeral Chapel, Weyburn, 306-842-5432.
