Benjamin L. Stahlheber, age 81, of Clinton passed away on Sunday April 17, 2011. Ben was born on December 21, 1929 in Wood River, Illinois, 30 miles north of St. Louis Missouri. He and his wife Ruth Audrey Williams, of neighboring Roxana, were married on January 28, 1952.
Ben is survived by an older brother Jack E. Stahlheber of Redmond Washington, a younger sister Marlene Smith of Naperville Illinois, a daughter Jennifer Slater and her husband Gene of Marlboro, New York, a son Christopher Stahlheber and his wife Rose of Soldotna Alaska, and a second son Brett Stahlheber and his wife Diane of Glastonbury Connecticut. He also leaves a granddaughter Ashley Lynn Jeffrey of Catskill New York, a grandson Daniel Jeffrey of Buffalo New York, and grandsons Evan and Wesley Stahlheber of Glastonbury Connecticut.
Ben was predeceased by his loving wife Ruth, his father and mother John Elmer Stahlheber and Nina Dean DeAtley Stahlheber and a younger brother Donald Martin Stahlheber of Wood River, Illinois.
Ben Graduated from the east Alton-Wood River, Illinois High School in 1947 and attended the University of Illinois, initially at the extension in Galesburg, then moved to the main campus in Champaign-Urbana and graduated with a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering in 1952. Throughout his career, Ben worked on more than 800 lighting design projects in the U.S. and Canada. He was a Visiting Lecturer in lighting design for graduate architect students at Yale, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Rhode Island School of Design. He became a Registered Professional Engineer in 5 states and in D.C. He was co-inventor of several lighting luminaires for which he and his boss of 33 years, Sylvan R Shemitz, received patents. Ben was a member of the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America since 1954. Ben and his family moved to Clinton, Connecticut in 1967.
Friends and family are invited to attend a period of visitation on Wednesday, April 20, 2011 from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Swan Funeral Home, 80 East Main St., Clinton, CT. A funeral service will take place at Swan Funeral Home on Thursday, April 21, 2011 at 11:00 AM.
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