Meet board member Ben Stobbe
by Helen Rose Pauls

For twenty-five years, Ben lived in Abbotsford, where he was born and went to school:  Peardonville,  South Poplar, and then Abbotsford Junior and Senior High.
 “I had the benefit of great math teaching from Ron Sweeney, learned to write term papers from Miss Drummond, and heard John Wittenberg  down the hall quoting Shakespeare,” he says.
Later Ben attended CBC where A. J. Klassen was a mentor;  then Western Washington State University, Bellingham.

He was posted in Prince George as a probation officer with BC Corrections.  During this time he convinced Linda Suderman from Chilliwack to marry him, a non-musical product of Abbotsford, and says that was the second best decision he ever made (next to his commitment to live a life of faith.) Ben and Linda have been married for over forty years, living mostly in Prince George, and now in Victoria. They have three children: Karl and Stephanie and two children in Winnipeg, Joel and Tracy in Tsawassen, and Julia in Victoria.

“After my retirement, Helen Rose Pauls twisted my arm to join the board and now I seem to be the one to remind our constituency of our financial needs and the value of their contributions, “ says Ben, “as I am often MC for the various events. It is easier doing these roles because I really believe in the work of the MHS.” He serves on the events committee and  enjoys that because MHS brings together a community of Mennonites which goes beyond our churches, recognizes the incredible past contributions of so many unselfish people, and gives honor to our Godly heritage.

Ben’s hobbies include woodwork (canoes, kayak, furniture), reading (Rudy Wiebe, P. D. James, Ukrainian history, Globe and Mail), and knitting gloves, toques, sweaters. For the last two summers, Ben and Linda have spent several months living in the former village of Halbstadt, Ukraine, and being active with the Friends of the Mennonite Center. They enjoy doing community development, serving with fellow Christians, and acknowledging the Mennonite  heritage.