Benjamin E. (Ben) Vogel

Benjamin E. (Ben) Vogel, 84, went to be with the Lord on September 23, 2024 at St. Clara’s Msnor.
He joins his son, Kenneth E. Vogel, and his spouse, Virginia Carol Vogel, in heaven as well as very close friends, Harlan and Zelma Kennedy, who lived next door to the Vogel’s for many years.
Ben was born on March 22, 1940, at Watseka, Illinois, the son of Elmer and Mary Hodel Vogel.
He graduated from Cissna Park Schools. He attended the University of Illinois and Lincoln Christian Seminary. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Lincoln Christian University on May 29, 1964. He graduated from Saint Louis University School of Social Service with a Master in Social Work Degree on June 5, 1971.
Ben was baptized on May, 1959, at the Catlin, Church of Christ. Catlin, Illinois. On June 4, 1961, he married Virginia Carol Arnett of Danville, Illinois, at the Catlin Church of Christ. They celebrated 51 years of marriage together. Carol went to be with the Lord on September 25, 2012.
They had two children, Kenneth and Kristine. Kenneth went to be with the Lord January 4,
1992. Kristine survives with her husband, Nathan Dolbeare, They reside in Golden, Colorado.
Also surviving are his sister, Carol Ann Vogel, Oakwood, IL and his brother, Donald Vogel, and his niece, Deborah Vogel.
After completing his education, Ben worked as a Licensed Social Worker at Lincoln Developmental Center, Lincoln, for 37 years. During that time, he helped implement many changes in the way persons with developmental disabilities were trained and their living accommodations were improved. He worked in the area of Admissions to the Center as well as placement of individuals in community based small group homes. He retired August 31, 2002.
Ben was a member of Lincoln Christian Church for over”
60 years. Ben was a Sunday School
teacher in the early years teaching a class of third grade boys. Later he became a driver of the Church bus. He also was a Deacon and an Elder. He was the church’s sound technician for seventeen years. He began recording sermons in 1972. This activity grew into what is now known as the Lincoln Area Tape Ministry which lasted over 40 years. Ben and Carol traveled thousands of miles recording various events and making recordings immediately available for sale to the participants of that event. Most of these events were religious conferences or church meetings but some were in the area of Foster Care training and Preventing Child Abuse. Some events were on the campus of Lincoln Christian University.
Ben was the Lincoln Regional Director for the National Church Growth Research Center, Washington, D.C. He was the audio editor and publisher of the Center’s Audio Cassettes and, more recently, Compact Disks. Over the years, he produced thousands of audio recordings which were distributed by the Church Growth Center.
Ben was a volunteer at the Lincoln Pregnancy Resource Center. Since Carol was no longer living, Ben felt that her legacy as a volunteer at the Center should not die. As a volunteer, he carried on her fund raising activity raising as much as ten thousand dollars per year. He was a
member of the Fundraising And Community Extension (F.A.C.E.) Committee. Ben participated in the Lincoln Center’s annual fundraising banquet.
Visitation will be Thursday, September 26, 2024 from 5-7 pm at Holland Barry And Bennett Funeral Home. Funeral Services will he held at Lincoln Christian Church at 10:00 AM Friday, September 27, 2024.
Burial will be in New Union Cemetery, Lincoln, Illinois.
Friends are encouraged to make memorial donations to the Lincoln Pregnancy Resource Center,
308 North Union Street, Lincoln, Illinois.