10/03/2021

Obituary for Benjamin R. Easterling Jr.

OFDA Past President and Former Owner of Swigart-Easterling Funeral Home

Benjamin R. Easterling, Jr., 71 of Canal Fulton, passed away unexpectedly Friday, October 1, 2021. He was born June 17, 1950 in Akron, OH to the late Benjamin R. and Myra (Hodges) Easterling, Sr. Ben was a 1968 graduate of Barberton High School and attended the University of Kentucky, where he was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity. Ben suffered through many Kentucky football games as a season ticket holder for the past 26 years. After college Ben worked for Babcock and Wilcox Construction Company and also part time at the Campfield-Hickman-Collier Funeral Home in Barberton. He found he loved his part time job and decided to enroll at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and became a licensed Funeral Director and Embalmer. In 1978, Ben started working at Swigart Funeral Home in Canal Fulton. Ben purchased the funeral home in 1989 and operated it for the past 32 years. He served many families over the past 45 years as a funeral director and considered it an honor and a responsibility to give back to his community. He was a member and more often past president of many local, city, state and national organizations. Just a few would be the Canal Fulton Chamber of Commerce, Canal Fulton Rotary Club, and NW Touchdown Club. Ben served as President and Past President of the Ohio Funeral Directors Association and as their Policy Board Representative to the National Funeral Directors Association. Ben also served on many tax levies/income tax committees for the Northwest Local Schools. Ben enjoyed attending Northwest sporting events and was inducted into the Northwest High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. He was also a member of Legacy Christian Church in Clinton, OH.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by brother-in-law, Gary Williams. Ben is survived by his wife of 47 years, Belinda (Case) Easterling; sons, Chris and JR (Tara) Easterling; grandchildren, Dylan and Brianna Easterling; sister, Suzanne Williams of Connecticut; niece, Amy (Doug) Wayland-Smith and their children Abby and Natalie; nephew, Todd (Tiffani) Williams and their daughter Quinn; former daughter-in-law, Stefanie (Bryan) Bowman; many cousins, in-laws and close friends.

Funeral Services will be held THURSDAY, October 7, 2021, 10:00am at Northwest High School Puffenberger Auditorium, 8580 Erie Ave, N., Canal Fulton, Jim Gindlesberger and Rod Grabski officiating. Burial at Canal Fulton Cemetery. Calling Hours WEDNESDAY, 4pm to 8pm at Puffenberger Auditorium. IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, donations are requested to the Scleroderma Foundation, Ohio Chapter, P.O. Box 107, Pataskala, OH 43062 or Northwest Athletic Dept., 8580 Erie Ave. N, Canal Fulton OH 44614, designate in memo line for new scoreboard.