Small Town News
Benito (Benny or Ben) Pascua Flores
Email
Print
Tweet
CopyOn July 5th, 2010, we lost our dear son, brother, uncle, cousin and friend Ben P. Flores, age 20.
A member of the Colville Confederated Tribes, he was born in Brewster on Oct. 12, 1989, to Benito M. Flores and Lettye M. Hall.
Ben, or Lil Ben as known to most of us, was loved by all who knew him throughout the Grand Coulee Dam and Ne spelem areas.
He grew up and attended schools in the Grand Coulee Dam School District; Wright Elementary, Grand Coulee Dam Middle School and Lake Roosevelt High School. He graduated in 2008. Ben also attended one year of college at Central Washington University from 2008-2009.
A natural athlete, Lil Ben played sports from early childhood on. He played AAU Basketball for the Coulee Lobos and was coached by PeeWee Pleasants. Lil Ben and his Coulee Lobos teammates -- Matt Pleasants, Guy Payne, Garrett Carlson, Luke Seekins, Alex Tufts and Garrett Jess -- played in tournaments throughout Washington, competing against bigger schools to prepare for high school basketball. In middle school, the team went undefeated in the seventh and eighth grades, leaving a winning legacy of a perfect 10-0. In high school he played three years with his Coulee Lobos teammates and also played with classmates Jordan Heintz, Coby Dick and Kyle Jim. Ben was more than a friend to his Coulee Lobos teammates, he was their brother.
He played baseball and basketball, but his first and true love was always baseball. He played all four years on the high school varsity baseball team. Ben's batting average was .453, and he was voted MVP for his junior-year season. Ben had also played Babe Ruth Baseball for the Okanogan All Stars and participated in the Babe Ruth State Tournaments in 2003, 2004 and 2005. In his junior and senior years in high school, he ran cross-country and was voted most inspirational.
Ben was always a competitor. He modestly pretended as though he didn't know his own skill, but he was very talented.
You couldn't help but love him because he could get you to smile or laugh. Ben always had stories to tell. With his forgiving nature, he forgave and forgot. There are so many stories his classmates can tell. Ben touched so many lives in his short 20 years on earth. The most important thing he taught us is "Never Give Up" because he was a fighter, a real trooper.
Ben worked for Coulee Hardware during his high school years and then worked for Sunbanks Resort, Coulee Dam Casino, Village Cinema, and Oasis Lawn Care.
Most of all, Ben loved his mom, dad and sisters dearly as they each meant the world to him. His motto, "Never Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up!" will remain in their hearts forever.
Ben is survived by his father, Benito (Ben) M. Flores, and stepmother Marci Flores of Coulee Dam; mother, Lettye M. Hall of Grand Coulee; sister Hallye R. Flores-Nanamkin (Clint Tom); niece Kahnyka R. Flores-Nanamkin of Aberdeen; sister Nasha L. Flores; nephew Teyten Flores and niece Skyla Flores-Thomas, all of Coulee Dam; and step-brothers Jeff Nanamkin (Becky) of Mt. Vernon and Josh Nanamkin (Tammy) of Port Orchard.
He was preceded in death by paternal grandparents: Ben P. Flores Sr. of the Philippine Islands and Mary L. Gua Flores of Nespelem; aunt Sylvia (Silver Rose) Flores and maternal grandparents Elbert and Nancy Hall of Grand Coulee.
Service arrangements were not finalized by deadline, but will but will be published online at grandcoulee.com as soon as they are available from Strate Funeral Home of Grand Coulee.
Copyright 2010 The Star, Grand Coulee, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from SmallTownPapers, Inc.
© 2011 The Star Grand Coulee, Washington. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.
More from The Star