Benjamin L. Burdt passed away unexpectedly on October 31, 2026, just shy of his 58th birthday.

Ben possessed an undeniable magnetism yet remained an enigma. His remarkable good looks and commanding presence captivated those around him, concealing a sensitivity he seldom allowed himself to reveal. Those who knew him discovered an affectionate soul, laid-back and unassuming, with a wonderfully irreverent wit. He had a gift for slipping a clever, sometimes wicked observation into conversation, followed by his unmistakable half-laugh and knowing smirk, betraying his own amusement.

For Ben, physical training was almost sacred, a discipline through which he found peace, control, and inner resilience. He sought that same sense of control in the parts of life he found more difficult to master. Beneath his imposing exterior was a gentleness and innocence he yearned to have recognized yet struggled to reveal. When Ben wrapped someone in a hug, there was something in his warmth that made you melt into his arms, enveloped by an extraordinary sense of safety and peace. Even babies settled peacefully in his arms, instinctively at ease. Perhaps the most poignant contradiction in Ben was how naturally he gave others the peace he so often struggled to find within himself.

Ben possessed an open mind, a deeply personal spirituality, and a protective nature that was felt more often than expressed. He accepted people without demanding they live by his expectations yet was never indifferent to the mistreatment of others. Ben was drawn to people who were unapologetically themselves, finding pleasure in the individuality of those around him.

Ben built a successful career in financial services technology, a path that eventually took him across the world to Bangkok, Thailand. There, he led a quality assurance organization but found his greatest professional fulfillment in the people he guided and encouraged. Ben's natural calm embodied the Thai spirit of sabai sabai, an easygoing way of being that made his presence all the more appealing. His colleagues adored him, once expressing their affection through an enormous mosaic of his beloved Iowa Hawkeye, painstakingly assembled from yellow notes across the glass of their office tower. It was a tribute that spoke not simply to their admiration for Ben, but to how deeply they had come to know him.

Those years also brought Ben two of his greatest joys. He eagerly awaited Maya's birth in Bangkok and later welcomed Zeyta, adopted from Ethiopia, with the same boundless love that had transformed his life as a father. In fatherhood, Ben found the deepest joy of his life, a role that seemed almost destined for the gentleness at the heart of his nature. He was devoted and attentive, finding as much pleasure in his daughters' company as they found in his. As they grew, so did his pride in their individuality, their accomplishments, and the young women they are becoming.

Ben's bond with his stepsons, Dylan and Kramer, began to deepen as the family embarked on their life together in Thailand. Their adventures together gave rise to endless laughter, private jokes, and memories that belonged entirely to them. Dylan, already a teenager when Ben entered his life, came to know him as the man he considered his dad. That same tenderness had long been familiar to his nieces and nephews in the Burdt family, who grew up in the warmth of his affection. To them, he was UB, Uncle Ben, a name that reflected a bond formed in their earliest years and carried into adulthood through shared stories, laughter, and a love of music.

From the beginning, Ben and Vera shared a connection that seemed to draw others into its orbit. There was something infectious about their happiness, an unguarded affection that could charm even complete strangers. Together, they built a life that carried them across continents, through extraordinary experiences and the quieter complexities of marriage. Though the years brought changes neither could have imagined, the love and history between them remained, woven into a bond that could never be measured simply by the circumstances of their lives.

Ben shared a particular closeness with his mother, Elaine, sustained through their daily exchange of messages, spiritual reflections, and the small details of their lives. Just two days before his death, Elaine received three framed portraits from Ben: one of Maya, one of Zeyta, and one of himself blowing her a kiss. A tender expression of the love he held for her, and unmistakably Ben.

Ben is survived by his wife, Vera Burdt; daughters, Maya Jane and Zeyta Jade; mother, Elaine; sister, Hallie Thompson; sister-in-law, Amy Burdt; stepsons, Dylan Freeman (Tresa) and Kramer Bryant (Valerie); six grandchildren, Alyssa, Lana, Alexis, Maddy, Chase, and Caroline; stepmother, Ruthie Wehde; and his cherished nieces and nephews, with whom he shared a particularly enduring affection.

He was preceded in death by his father, Hugo Burdt, and his beloved brother, Sam Burdt, whose friendship and guidance remained among the most treasured relationships of Ben's life.

Among Ben's belongings were words he had kept close, reflecting a deeply personal aspiration that guided him throughout his life: to find the same peace within himself that he so naturally brought to others.

My Body is Resting.
My Mind is Quiet.
My Soul is at Peace.

A celebration of Ben's life will be announced at a later date.