Franziska Ben
September 20, 1925 - April 07, 2018
Obituary
Franziska Ben of Aberdeen died Saturday, April 7 at Lorien- Bulle Rock. She was 92.
Born in Munich, Germany she was the daughter of the late George and Matilda (Gephart) Zeller and wife of the late Alexander Ben.
An active member of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, the Golden Age Club and the Aberdeen Senior Center, Mrs. Ben had previously worked at a meat packing plant in Landover, MD.
She is survived by her son Andres G. Ben and his wife Kathryn of Aberdeen; five grandchildren and her sister, Annamarie Weber of Germany. In addition to her parents and husband she was predeceased by her children, Alexander and Renate Ben and her siblings, Sebastian and Betty,
A visitation will be held at the Tarring-Cargo Funeral Home on Tuesday, April 10 from 3-5pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 11 at 10:00am at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church 257 S. Law St., Aberdeen, MD 21001. Interment will be private. Contributions in her memory may be made to St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church.
Events
Visitation
Tue Apr 10, 2018 @ 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM EDT
Tarring-Cargo Funeral Home • 333 S Parke St., Aberdeen, MD 21001
Service
Wed Apr 11, 2018 @ 10:00 AM EDT
St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church • 257 S. Law St., Aberdeen, MD 21001
Photos
Memories
JL
JoAnn Lingner
Other •
Mrs. Ben was a very sweet lady. I visited with her and gave her Holy Communion at Lorien on most Thursday mornings. May she Rest In Peace. JoAnn Lingner
DK
D King
Other •
I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the family. During this difficult time, God is near to those that are broken at heart, and those who are crushed in spirit He saves. Psalms 34:18
MB
Michelle Ben
Other •
Who wrote this death notice? It is devoid of any awesome facts about Franziska. She had to endure living in Munich during WWII. The family were constantly bombed and starved. Once when she arrived at a factory that made weapons for the war, she was told she forgot to salute and say "Hail Hitler" She promptly said, "You can kiss my ass with that hail Hitler, I am not saying it." An SS man was standing in back of her and she was arrested. She was made to do hard labor with others. She was made to clean the underside of a train engine with a toothbrush. Another run in she had with Hitler's henchmen is when the allies bombed the factory she was working at. She was on the night shift and walked to the factory at night. She began tripping over debris. She looked down and saw body parts everywhere. She turned and ran home and refused to go back to work. She was warned she would be arrested if she didn't return to work and still she refused. The Gestapo came and arrested her and put her in a jail cell. She cried and lost weight for about a month. Her jailers learned that she liked to sew. They brought in all their mending from home to give her something to do to pass the time. The most amusing moment of the war she and the neighbors had is when they were all down in the bomb shelter and she had to sit on a bucket to relieve herself. Bombs could be heard in the distance falling. Someone asked if that was the sound of bombs coming. And a man said, "No, that is the sound of Franziska on the bucket. Everyone laughed and she turned red, but also laughed. Out of 4 pregnancies, she had 2 children that survived their first year of life. She is survived by 6 blood relatives; her last remaining son Andy, and 5 grandchildren, Sara, Becky, Mary, Adam and David.