Berndt D. Schertzer, 84, passed into the arms of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on April 19, 2018, at The Cottages in Mill Creek.

Ben was born on Oct. 5, 1933, in Kewanee, Illinois, and was the oldest child of Silas and Hildegard Schertzer. He was raised in Kewanee and went on to serve for four years as a medic in the Navy during the Korean War until 1959. Ben was ahead of his time and attended the University of Illinois to study computers. He moved to San Francisco and worked at Levi Strauss for many years in their computer programming department.

Ben was an entrepreneur and loved to try new things. He took his passions for the outdoors and moved his family to one of his favorite places, the Pacific Northwest. They decided on Lopez Island, Washington, and here he put his many years of Boy Scout leadership and love of the outdoors to good use by starting a Boy Scout Troop. He also combined his fascination with books and love of people and opened a book store with his wife.

Ben’s laugh and humor were infectious and will be greatly missed by his family and friends who look forward to seeing him again in heaven.

Ben married his first wife, Maureen, Oct. 15, 1960, and she preceded him in death. They had three children together: Stephen (Carolyn) with grandchildren Bowen and Jacob; and Eric and David (Renee). Ben married his second wife Donna on May 15, 1982. He is survived by Donna, and her daughter he adopted as his own, Stephanie Sharpe. He is also survived by his grandchildren Joshua (Kenzie), Jonathan and Julianne Sharpe.

A memorial service for Ben will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 16, at Cornwall Church, 830 N. 16th Street, Mount Vernon. A pie social will follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Children of the Nations, P.O. Box 3970 Silverdale, WA 98383 (cotni.org) or Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation, 110 E. 42nd St. 16th Floor, New York, NY 10017 (alzinfo.org)

Arrangements are under the care of Hawthorne Funeral Home, Mount Vernon, Washington.