Benjamin Franklin Hatfield

Hatfield, Benjamin Franklin, 84, of South Charleston, beloved husband, father, and grandfather, went to be with his Lord on August 25, 2018, after battling cancer. He was born February 24, 1934 in Swifton, Arkansas to Luther and Chellie (Kinder) Hatfield. After moving around the old Southwest, Ben and his mother moved to Springfield, Ohio when he was thirteen. He attended Springfield High and in 1951 joined the United States Navy at the age of seventeen. In the Navy, he was an airplane mechanic having been stationed in Washington D.C., Key West, FL., and Norfolk, VA. In 1955, he was Honorably Discharged from the Navy. In 1957, Ben met the love of his life Judy and married her in 1959. Ben and Judy were happily together for 61 years, married for 58 years. He retired from Navistar International in 1996, after thirty years of service and was a member of the UAW Local 402. He would later work for Werner Enterprise and the Springfield School of Driving as a driving instructor. Ben was very proud he worked until the age of 80. As well, he was an avid sports fan of the Cincinnati Bengals, St. Louis Cardinals, and The Ohio State Buckeyes. Although he was born in Arkansas, he always considered himself a Buckeye. Ben was preceded in death by his father Luther, his mother Chellie, his brother Elmo, and sister Othello. He is survived by his life mate and wife Judy (Dillow) Hatfield of South Charleston, his son Steve (Julie) Hatfield of Kingsport, Tennessee, his daughters Cheryl Gower of Glenpool, Oklahoma, Cathy (Lawrence) Ryun of Liberty, Missouri, Linda (Mike) Dobyns of Fairborn, Ohio, Patti Johnson of South Charleston, Ohio and son Mark Hatfield. Ben has six loving grandchildren, Brittany, Logan, Ben, Rylee, Larson, and Eli. A memorial gathering will be held at the Richards Raff & Dunbar Memorial Home on September 1, 2018 from 4-6PM. A private funeral service will be held at a later date. The family would like to thank the Hospice of the Miami Valley for all of their assistance. In lieu of flowers, please make a generous donation to the Hospice of the Miami Valley1948 N Limestone St., Springfield, Ohio 45503. Expressions of sympathy may be made at www.richardsraffanddunbar.com.