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Note: from the Lincoln Sentinel-Republican, Feb.28, 1935:
Beverly --- Ben Gough returned home Friday from CCC camp at Cawker City and returned Sunday.
Ben Gough's Eulogy, sent to us by his son, Ron:
About Ben Gough
Famous men you read about or see in the news have nothing more than Ben Gough.
Where other men strike out to have big cars and international reputations, Ben just focused on building a good family and taking care of what he built.
He took 2 acres of old dairy farm and made it into a HOME - not fancy or flashy. A place to raise three sons and teach them the REAL values of life. Not an outward religious man that goes to church each Sunday, but a man that loved God and followed the teachings of Jesus in action rather than in words.
While a young buck in one of the depression CCC camps, he met Opal, his wife and life center for over 60 years. His bucking stopped upon the meeting of Opal and they started moving west for a better life. They scratched out a living harvesting crops until they made it to Bend, Oregon. In Bend they spent their first Northwest winter, cutting wood for food and rent.
Ben then worked in gas stations, the Vancouver Shipyards, as a carpenter, and finally the Boise Cascade paper mill. Always working rotating shifts, Ben kept his family fed, clothed, and in good health. His off time was spent remodeling the home, building furniture, and occasionally fishing.
In 1975, with all 3 boys grown and raising their own families, Ben retired. With Opal at his side, they filled their lives with making handicrafts and raising flowers that they sold in bazaars, all the while taking care of their 2 acre home.
In 1956 when Ben and Opal bought their 2 acre home on Burton Road, it was what remained of the old Rose Dairy. Just a small orchard on the side of the house and flat pasture land. Over the years, Ben and Opal filled all but a small part of the property with a wide assortment of trees and flowers. Now surrounded by homes, Ben has created a small oasis of beauty that the family is determined to preserve.
Ben's quiet wisdom and example will continue to flow through the veins and minds of future generations. All that he has touched want to thank him for giving us life and for his gentle everlasting wisdom.
We will miss you, Ben Gough -- but know that we still have a part of you in every blade of grass and tree that grows and those special values of life that you exampled for us.
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