Ben Heckathorn

Attorney and CPA, died at his desk, doing what he loved, on May 7, 2024.  Milton Ben Heckathorn was born in his grandmother's house in Delaware, Oklahoma on June 23, 1932, to Lovera Illingsworth and Everett (Bud) Heckathorn. He and his brothers, Bill and Jim, spent their early years farming, fishing, hunting, and roaming the Oklahoma territory.  

Witnessing the tragedy of watching their home burn to the ground, prompted their migration from Oklahoma to the Texas panhandle as Ben’s father worked building a pipeline from Bartlesville, Oklahoma to Borger, Texas, eventually moving the family to the company town of Phillips. There, Ben and his brothers learned the value of a good education.

Ben was forever grateful for and proud of the one-room schoolhouse funded by the Phillips Petroleum Company and staffed with highly skilled teachers. He graduated from Frank Phillips High School in 1950 and then went directly on to higher education, earning his Associates Degree from Frank Phillips College.

Ben then hitchhiked 350 miles from Phillips to Denton where he attended North Texas State University, graduating with a BBA in 1954.  With the Korean Conflict pressing, he was drafted by the US Army.  He attended basic training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri before being sent to Camp Kilmer in New Jersey, of which his fondest memory being a 3-day pass to see New York City and Ella Fitzgerald in concert.

He then literally “shipped out” on a 10-day boat ride to Germany where he was assigned to Headquarters Company. Ben was promoted rapidly from Private 2nd Class to Corporal to Sergeant within the Signal Corps, responsible primarily for monitoring Russian activity during the Cold War.  After a 2-year tour, Ben returned to the US, mustered out in Little Rock, Arkansas, and then home to Phillips, Texas.

As soon as possible he returned to school, back to NTSU to work on his Master’s Degree. Working and studying were two pillars that carried him throughout his life.  He spent the next decade doing both, working sometimes full-time, sometimes part-time, for Shell Oil Company in Houston, Southwestern Life Insurance Company in Dallas, and several solo-practitioner accounting firms in both Dallas and Fort Worth.

After 10 years of working and going to school, and with the support of the G.I. Bill, Ben’s love of learning saw him earn an MBA from NTSU, the foundation that prepared him to become a Certified Public Accountant. His gift for school and interest in learning then took him to law school at Southern Methodist University. The story goes that this decision was made quickly, and since entrance tests had passed, the school admitted him “provisionally,” noting he could take the LSAT the following year. When entrance exams came around again, he was granted a permanent exemption based on his exceptional grades. Ben received his J.D. in 1963, and by the time he passed the Bar Exam, he was one of only a small handful of people to be dual-certified as an Attorney and CPA.

Ben was not, however, just an academic and book-worm. He collected and raced cars as a member of the Gymkhana Race Car Club in Dallas. He was scout leader for both sons’ Webelostroops, building soap-box derby cars, hiking, and camping while teaching them to both appreciate nature and to survive in it. He was a baseball coach for the YMCA, posting a winning record for the Nottingham Neighbors little league team. And always an involved citizen, he even ran the neighborhood polling location from his garage in the 1970s.

Additionally, most know that Ben was a sports fan. He was skilled at tennis, baseball, football, golf, and bowling. He was also a gifted dancer though, alas, a shockingly terrible singer (a shortcoming, however, that did not keep him from regularly making up his own creations). He was a season ticket holder for the Dallas Cowboys and took many friends and family to games at Texas Stadium. And when the Mavericks came to town, he supported and followed basketball as well. His longest and greatest love, however, was baseball. He bought season tickets to the DFW Spurs in 1965, the opening season of the Texas League team. This Arlington baseball team then became home to Major League Baseball when the Washington Senators moved to Arlington and became the Texas Rangers in 1972. He remained the longest-running individual season ticket holder in the history of the club. After decades of rooting for mediocre teams, everyone is thrilled that Ben lived long enough to see his beloved Rangers FINALLY win a World Series. 

Ben followed and supported the adventures of his family, friends, and clients with the same attention and encouragement as his sports teams. He poured over report cards and certificates, he encouraged learning and adventures, he provided smart but practical advice, and he would get you out of a jam when you didn’t follow that advice. Both personally and professionally, Ben took care of people. Even in his senior years, when most had long retired, he continued to go into the office to work, both professionally and personally, to support those around him. 

Always the first to smile, to shake your hand, to reach for the check, Ben was a generous man. The son of a sharecropper who left the Oklahoma farm in a wagon with only what he had been sleeping in, did everything he could to better himself and support everyone around him. It is safe to say that not only every member of the extended Heckathorn family, but every friend of Ben’s and even every client was the beneficiary of his emotional, financial, and intellectual support.

All who knew Ben will miss him, but we are comforted by and grateful for his long and well-lived life.

Ben is survived by his wife Michelle Ryan Heckathorn of Fort Worth and their son Preston Ryan Heckathorn and Preston’s fiancé Cassidy Daniels both of San Antonio.

Sister-in-law Melinda Ryan Yager and husband Lenny of Centennial, CO, and nephew Blake Kinsey.

Sister-in-law Melissa Ryan Bentley and husband Randy of Frisco, TX and nieces Meredith Coats and Madeline Bentley. 

He is survived by the children of his marriage to Barbara (Bobbie) Bruce Heckathorn: Daughter Linda Heckathorn Clymaand granddaughters Macy Clyma and Audrey Clyma of Fort Worth.

Daughter Amy Heckathorn Topping, son-in-law Troy Topping, and granddaughters Sydney Topping and Alex Topping of Sacramento.

Son Paul Heckathorn, daughter-in-law Alice Whitten, and grandchildren Jacob Heckathorn and Lily Heckathorn of Aledo.

Brother Bill Heckathorn of Killeen. Nephews Jeff Heckathorn of Harker Heights and Jody Heckathorn of Beaumont.

Additionally nephews Brian Caldwell, David Caldwell, and niece Christy Caldwell Davis.  

For 31 years, Ben was supported, assisted, and loved by his business associate Laurie Beekman Patterson and her husband Steve Patterson of Oak Leaf, TX, their children Ashlee Thomas and Chris Patterson, and their grandchildren Wesley Thomas and Liam Timothy.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 25, 2024 at 3:00 pm at Southside Preservation Hall and Rose Chapel, 1519 Lipscomb Street, Fort Worth, TX. A reception will follow from 3:30 to 6:00–all are welcome to come and toast a life well-lived.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to:

River Oaks Food Pantry

4800 Ohio Garden Road

Fort Worth, TX 76114

Or venmo: @RiverOaks-FoodPantry

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