Ben was a voracious reader. He loved to read all kinds of books, especially large novels. Some of his favorite authors were Dean Koontz and Stephen King. He even took up writing short stories in his last year. He wrote seven.

He loved video games. He would play them with his sister. He loved mostly strategy and sports games. His favorites include Panzer General and NBA Live, among many others.

Ben was a sports fan. His favorite sports were basketball, football, and golf. He played and watched all three. Some of his favorite athletes were Tim Hardaway, Dan Marino, and Tiger Woods.

He absolutely loved to watch movies and television. His all-time favorite movie was Braveheart. During the last year of his life, he started sharing some of his favorite movies with his family. We rented movies almost every night. Shortly before he left for the last time, he returned a movie to the local video store. Some of his favorite TV shows include the X-Files, Hercules, Xena, and Mystery Science Theater.

Ben was adventurous his entire life. When he was young, he rode his bike everywhere. When he received his driver's license, he loved to drive all around town.

Ben loved music. He was a gifted piano player. He liked many different kinds of music. Some classical favorites include Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky. Popular favorites include the Beatles, Elvis Presley, the Bee Gees, Oasis, and Bobby Vinton. His favorite classical pieces include Rachmaninoff's 3rd concerto in D minor, Tchaikovsky's Pathetique symphony, Chopin's Ballad in G minor, and Beethoven's Fur Elise. His favorite popular songs include House of the Rising Sun, Unchained Melody, and Yesterday.

His favorite color was orange. Some of his favorite foods were fish, chicken, pizza, and his mother's chili. His favorite candy was Skor. Ben's favorite school subject was History. His favorite drink was milk.