Fortified by the sacraments of Holy Mother Church, Ben (84) died April 20, 2023. He is survived by his wife of 60 years Eleanor Rogers Janson. Predeceased by daughter Jennifer, Ben leaves behind three children, Andrew (Ellen) Janson, Daniel (Kristin) Janson, and Colleen (Joseph) Kinnison. Inspiring grandfather to eleven grandchildren and one great grandchild. Also survived by eight of thirteen younger siblings.
After earning a degree in Business from St. Louis University in 1960 and serving in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, Ben enjoyed a 35-year career at Ralston Purina Company. He retired in 1996 as Vice President of Logistics. Ben served as an executive and board member at several non-profit agencies that serve the developmentally disabled.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica on Monday, May 1, at 10 a.m. His family will receive visitors one hour prior in the All Souls Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to the Basilica and to the St. Louis Arc.
My condolences, Ellen.
Andrew and Family,
Please accept my sincere condolences. Your father sounds like a wonderful man of faith and love. May he rest in eternal peace with the Lord. Amen.
Jim Nolan
So sorry to hear the news of Ben’s Death1
Love and prayers for you and your Family!
God Bless,
Judy Stecher
So Sorry to hear the news of Ben’s death!
Ellen .prayers and thoughts on the way for you and your family!
God Bless1
My deepest sympathy to you, Ellen, and your family. My prayers are for all of you at this difficult time. Diana Tessereau
Thinking of you and sending love and prayers that the Lord will watch over you at this difficult time. Ben was a great guy and I know that you will always keep his memory close to your heart. Sympathy to you and your family. Love you Retie
A life well lived. Well done. All the best to the Janson family.
Thinking of you and your family at this difficult time. Ben was a great guy who could talk to anyone about anything. He was a very smart person with a sense of humor. We all will miss him. Love you!! Retie and Gene
Spent many Saturdays as a kid watching Mr. Janson coach my brother’s soccer team. What a positive impact he had on my brother and the kids he coached. Thank you for that gift.
To Eleanor Janson and Immediate Family
Helen and I are terribly saddened by news of Ben’s passing. There are no words that can truly express the feelings. We have at the loss you have just endured. Please know that our feelings for Ben run deep and he will never be forgotten. Ben holds a special place in my memory as “one of the great ones”.
I am writing this to you, not because a man has died, but because he lived. Ben hired me in 1974. This was a gift of opportunity. I did not realize it at the time, but it was much more than a one-time thing. I worked directly or indirectly for him for 15 years. He was a tough boss. Without ever scolding or raising his voice, it was always clear that anything less than your best was unacceptable. He set the bar high for himself and expected the same from everyone. Compliments were few and far between – they were always earned, never given. No one ever received a participation trophy. He had a saying in those days: “100 ‘Atta Boys’ is equal to 1 ‘Oh Shit’ “. That said, he was always fair in his judgement and treated everyone equally. All were judged by one criterion – quality of performance.
Ben, without lecturing, taught me so many things and gave me so many growth opportunities that I could never recount them. He taught me how to stand up to some of the toughest managers inside and outside of the company. He also taught me how to be sensitive to individuals who deserved or needed support. He returned loyalty and hard work with kindness and another chance. He made men out of his boys and women out of his girls.
More than all of the above, he became my friend for life. I will miss him and believe the world is a better place for his being here.
Again, our thoughts are with you and the family at this time. You will go on, but you will never forget…
Sincerely,
John and Helen Hobold
Eleanor, John and I have you and your family in our thoughts and prayers due to the passing of Ben. He was a great man to know.
Sorry we could not be there today for his mass, but our prayers are for you today.