Benedikt Pavlovich Eremenko

This is what was said at the funeral of my step-father, Ben. I have more to say about it but that will be a different post. It was written by my Uncle Art who gave it at the funeral. I have made some additions to it which is in italics.

Born in a small Ukrainian village of Emeleianovka in the USSR on April 23, 1932 he grew up in Zelonakut, Ukraine. His family was poor as all were in this area of the world. They lived in a small home with a small plot of land where they grew the vegetables and animals they needed. Their mainstays were cabbage, and sausage.

At about the age of 19, Ben joined the merchant marines and soon began traveling the oceans on a cargo ship. While sailing in the Far East in June of 1954, the ship entered forbidden waters and was forced into Formosa (Taiwan). Life on the ship was not what he or the other enlisted crew members were hoping. The officers were oppressive and the food was terrible. They were mistreated in a variety of ways and many of the crew decided to jump ship (leave without permission). They made their way to the US Embassy and asked for political asylum in the United States. Through a separate act of the US Congress these sailors were allowed to come to the US on October 11, 1955. Several of the men were sent to New York to live and attend Columbia University. A few others, including Ben, were sent to New Jersey to work in a factory. It was during this time that the KGB found the group living in New York and they all disappeared, having supposed to have been taken back to the USSR for trial and possible death. It was never known what happened to these men. The others in New Jersey were then separated and sent throughout the United States for their safety. Ben was given an alias name and assigned to a foster family. He lived in a variety of places on the east coast before coming to the northwest where he began working for Weyerhauser. Ben received his citizenship at the Coos County Courthouse in Coquille on January 9, 1967.


Ben worked for Weyerhauser for many years until his retirement. He had many jobs including head grinder for the planer mill and planer operator. As the grinder he became a very good knife maker using discarded parts.

In 1974 he was introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and became a member on June 8, 1974. He received the priesthood in March of 1976 and soon thereafter met Marilyn Johns Cook. They were married on May 7, 1977 and the lifetime bachelor had an instant family with Darilyn and Krista filling out their home. He became an elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood on May 15, 1977. On July 8, 1978 Ben and Marilyn were sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple.


When the Cold War ended (1991) Ben was drawn by the need to return to the Ukraine to visit his family. While on political asylum he had been unable to communicate with them. They had no idea he was still alive. In the early 1990’s he wrote to them and received a joyful response. Although his parents were still alive at that time , when he and Marilyn went to his homeland in 1998 his father had passed away. His reunion with his family was an enduring memory and filled with much joy. They still lived a life of poverty in the same home with little that we take for granted. Upon his return he sent shipments of tools, clothes and other items to his family.


Ben’s life was filled with hard work, lots of fun teasing, service to others and courage. It took courage to seek freedom when oppression was his future in the USSR. It took courage to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It took courage to marry and take on a family when he was 45 years old and had been a bachelor all his adult life. Above all else it took courage to face the daunting task of dialysis three times a week, and surgery to remove cancer in the lung. Each day in the past few years has been a new chapter in courage. He did not lose his sense of humor. Just a couple of Sunday’s past Marilyn was preparing to leave for church and asked if he would be all right. He replied yes. She asked what he would do. He replied with a straight face, “I think I will go read the book of Job”. That little bit of humor got them both to laughing. We all knew Ben had an endless reservoir of jokes. Each niece or nephew and many of his friends had many bouts of teasing.


In his weakened state last week he no longer had the strength to carry on the fight. The girls came down last weekend and they spent the time with Ben being happy. He died on Tuesday evening October 13, 2009. So now he is at peace this “Brother-in-law of mine”. And we should take from his life’s journey all the good he spread so well among his friends for to Ben everyone was his friend.