Ben Robert Carroll

Benjamin Robert Carroll of Fort Worth passed away peacefully at home on September 26, 2019. He was 93. At the time of his passing, Ben’s bedroom windows were open to his favorite view of his beautiful garden and the bird feeders that he famously protected from pesky squirrels. In his last days, he was surrounded by his beloved family, his books, music, little dog Freddy, and mementos from a long and productive life.

Ben was born on a family farm on March 5, 1926 in Atwood, Illinois to parents Emil and Mabel Carroll. He was proud to have been one of six siblings that attended a lively one-room school house before graduating from Atwood High School. After serving in the United States Army as Staff Sergeant during World War II, the G.I. Bill enabled Ben to attend and graduate from Texas Christian University where he earned a B.A Degree in History and English. As a student at TCU, Ben received numerous academic and athletic awards, and throughout his career and retirement, he continued to be a strong supporter of TCU academic and athletic programs, particularly in the government and business departments.

During his 40 plus years at General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin, Ben was famous for his devilishly clever charts. His charts demonstrated in a compact visual form, all the interlocking government and manufacturing systems that must synchronize smoothly for a successful launch of a new airplane such as the F-16 or the F-35. In 1994, Ben was honored to be added to the Lockheed Martin Hall of Fame and recognized as a highly respected national and international expert in defense acquisition, national defense policies and aerospace business strategy. At work and at home, Ben had the ability to motivate individuals on an unwavering path toward personal goals or collective accomplishment. He did this by setting high standards and modeling professionalism, human decency, and respect for others. His two sons and three step-children, whom he always treated and loved as his own, were deeply impacted by his unwavering optimism, kindness and generosity as they pursued their individual goals and faced life’s highs and lows. They were amazed by his ability to always assist them in making a plan to move forward through difficult times, and his faith in their individual and unique abilities never wavered. His warm hugs and words of encouragement will be deeply missed and never forgotten.

In addition to being well respected at work and dearly loved at home, Ben was admired for his ability to remember and sing old songs, especially those by Tom Lehrer. Ben was a fine golf player; fellow golfers at Colonial Country Club admired Ben and his golf partner, Mr. Bob Widmer, who, for many years, were proud to carry their own clubs and walk 18 holes well into their eighties.

Left to cherish Ben’s memory is his wife of 44 years, Diane, and two sons from his first marriage to Jackee Forth Carroll and three step-children: Gregory Carroll of Hurricane WVA, Courtney Carroll of Fort Worth, TX, Janie France of Dallas, TX, Catherine France-Browder of Arlington, TX, and Jonathan France of Crossroads, TX. Ben is also survived by his brother Bruce of Atwood, Ill., and eight grandchildren; Tex, Tatiana, Cyrano, Marcel, Gwenola, Nicholas, Madeleine, and Patrick. He will be greatly missed by all.

A memorial and celebration of Ben’s well-lived and productive life will be held at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth on Tuesday, October 15th between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m.

Ben will be interred in a private ceremony at the National Cemetery in Dallas, TX on October 29. 2019.

Ben was a great admirer of President Jimmy Carter. Therefore, in lieu of flowers, please consider contributions to Habitat for Humanity at https://www.habitat.org.