Benjamin Kotek

On Monday, April 24, 2023 Benjamin Kotek died at the age of 39. His family and friends will remember him most for his kind soul, his love of technology and driving the open road. He lived most of his childhood in Illinois. As a youngster he loved to create things from cardboard boxes and his toys. He loved animals and as a toddler would squeal with delight every time his pet cat would rub against his legs.
Ben had many adventures and experiences when his family moved to England. When he was 5 he attended a two room school house in a small Cotswold village. He was an instant celebrity being from America. He had many friends and playmates. In England he took horse back riding lessons and competed in tournaments and won ribbons. His family came back to Illinois for a short time but moved back to England and Ben attended an International high school there for his freshman and sophomore year. He played baseball for the high school team. His team went to Belgium to compete in a tournament and while there he and some of his teammates got to stay in the house of the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe. He was told to be careful not to push certain buttons on the wall or it could call the military and the swat team. His class also went on an outward-bound trip to Switzerland where he got to ski in the Swiss Alps.
He was an excellent student and excelled at math and computers. He finished his junior and senior year of high school in Illinois and graduated in the top 2 percent of his class. He got a perfect score on the math section of the SAT test. He built his own computer while in high school and would create his own programs. At the age of 10 he created a computer graphic program of a rocket ship blasting off. He went to University of Illinois as an Engineering student.
He was an avid reader and in junior high he read almost all of Michael Crichton’s books. His favorite was Jurassic Park. When he was 21 he started driving a truck. Recently he had bought his own cab and established a business as a owner/operator. He loved driving and the open road.
He was a kind soul and loved children especially his daughters, Chloe and Lilly, and his step son, John. He is survived by his loving family his wife, Jennifer; step son and his daughters; parents, Phil and Mary Kotek; brother, Neil (Trista); niece, Ellie; brother, Tony and many aunts, uncles and cousins.