Benjamin John Curtis

Benjamin John Curtis

PROCTOR Benjamin  was born on May 7, 1977 at Rutland Hospital to his parents, Albert and Gail Curtis. He was the heart of the family and will be sorely missed by many people.  Although he was an only child, he was lucky enough to have many close cousins on both sides of his family.

He went to school in Proctor and graduated as senior Valdictorian in June, 1995. He majored in Psycology and Political Science at Elmira College in New York and formed many close friendships which  he kept in touch with after his  return to Proctor.  He graduated in May, 1999 and stayed at Elmira working first, in admissions and then in student life. His closest friends were Brett Moore and his family and Jen Bozak.  He became Dean of student life before returning to Proctor after 14 years.

After returning to Vermont, he joined Champlain College in Burlington and completed his certificate to teach Middle School and High School. Upon completion of his studies, he worked for a year in Hartland VT school and then joined the Social Studies Staff at Proctor High School.  He loved his students, fellow teachers and the Proctor Community. This year he also taught Psycology at West Rutland High school, which he enjoyed very much.

He ran for selectboard soon after returning to Proctor and was elected chairperson this year.  He appreciated his fellow boardmembers and constantly looked for ways to help with town issues.

On Februrary 16th before beginning his winter vacation he rode around town to check that there were no issues he could help.  He especially wanted to check on East St because community members were concerned with speeding, in that area.  Upon his return to Proctor, as he was driving around a turn, he had a medical incident and he passed immediately.  The car ran into some bushes and overturned.

The State Police and Sheriff’s department as well as the fire department (Proctor and Pittsford) responded quickly.  They cordoned off the area and made sure no one else would come to harm while they began an investigation. This is mentioned because Ben would be impressed with the way they acted and would  certainly want to be sure they were thanked.  They performed their duties in the cold for 6 hours with professionalism and care for the family.

He was predeceased by his maternal grandparents, John and Carlita Pelkey and his paternal grandparents, Carman and Adrian Curtis. A special  thank you goes out to Robert Curtis his uncle and Pam Covell, his aunt  as well as his God Father Burt Clarino, for all the help they gave his parents during this difficult time.

There will be no visiting hours or committal ceremony but there will be a Mass at St. Peter’s Church on February 27 at 11:00 with Fr. John officiating.