Benjamin “Ben” Otto Trabue passed away at his residence in Portland, Oregon, on Feb. 9, 2013. He was 28 years old.
Ben was born Oct 5, 1984, in Tuskegee, Alabama. He was predeceased by his father Robert C. Trabue in 1991. Ben moved to Falls Church with his younger brother Bobby Trabue and mother Rosalind when she and Edwin B. Henderson II married in 1994. Later that year, Ed’s 12-year-old son Michael Henderson, a native Californian, joined the new family in Falls Church. Ed quickly dubbed the boys “My Three Sons” and was especially fond of the nickname, a popular TV show.
Ben was educated in the Falls Church City Public Schools. He was an outstanding student with an aptitude for math and science. As a youth, when bored, he would create calculus problems to entertain himself. He was very athletic and played soccer and basketball. He was active in youth activities, including the Civil Air Patrol, and Second Baptist and Galloway United Methodist churches of Falls Church. Ben aspired to become a pilot and began flying as a young boy in Tuskegee under the guidance of a neighbor, Tuskegee Airman Primary Flight Instructor Chief Alfred Anderson.
When Ben was 15 years old, he, his mother and younger brother left Falls Church and moved to Illinois. Ben graduated from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, and then joined the U. S. Army. After the military, he spent several years traveling the country, working on the West Coast and visiting relatives. Ben returned to Falls Church many times to visit his father.
A compassionate person, Ben decided that he should donate a kidney to his ailing aunt. All required testing were completed; he was a perfect match. Ben was eagerly awaiting the kidney donation, and the transplant would have taken place in a few weeks.
He is survived by his daughters, Trinity and Trianna; his devoted mother, Rosalind V. Trabue of Volvo, Illinois; loving father Edwin B. Henderson II and his wife, Nikki, of Falls Church; brothers Bobby Trabue of Volvo, Illinois, and Michael Henderson and his wife, Skekinah, of Santa Barbara, California; one half-brother; and two half-sisters. He leaves a host of aunts, including Dena Sewell of Highland Beach, Maryland, and Ellen Wimbish and her husband, Alcie, of Bowie, Maryland. He also leaves a grandmother, many uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends to mourn him.
Ben had a brilliant mind and was keenly interested in all religions, examining universal questions and was always eager to discuss “the meaning of life.” We will always carry the memory of him in our hearts.
A memorial service will be held in late summer.
