Joseph "Ben" Kasser

Joseph “Ben” Kasser died peacefully at home on Oct. 29, 2025, with his family at his bedside. 
He was 102 years old and lived independently until the final month of his life.

Ben was born in Elmwood Park, IL., on June 2,1923, to Ethel (Lachman) and George Kasser. 
He was preceded in death by 11 brothers and sisters. 
Much of his early life was spent on the family farm in Melrose Park, IL.

He served in the United States Army during World War II from 1943-1946 in the Philippines and Okinawa.

Ben worked for Mont Clare Roofers for more than 40 years.

On April 14,1951, he married Alice Cundiff. 
They had two children, Kathleen and Robert, and he resided in Franklin Park for more than 70 years at a home he built with his friends in the trades. 
Alice preceded Ben in death on Nov. 1, 2008. 
His son, Robert "Bob", preceded him in death on Aug. 23, 2010.

Ben is survived by his daughter, Kathleen (Rick) Chroust, and three grandsons: Erik (Whitney), Kevin (Nichol Somers) and Mark. 
He is also survived by many nieces, nephews and friends.

Throughout his life, he was known for his sense of humor, quick wit, generosity, storytelling, and his incredible memory of the details of the people and events in his life. 
Ben enjoyed fishing in Wisconsin with Alice and his family. 
In retirement, he enjoyed playing golf with as many as 13 friends from the area and his grandsons and son-in-law, until his mid 90s. 
Ben enjoyed watching the Bears and the Cubs and got to see the Bears win the Super Bowl in 1986 and the Cubs win the World Series in 2016. 
He didn’t think either event would happen in his lifetime.

In 2022, at the age of 99, Ben returned a 500-year-old Japanese sword he found at the end of World War II to its rightful owner in Japan, which was covered in Japanese media and later featured in Outside magazine.

Ben was always known for wearing a white baseball cap almost everywhere he went. 
Family would comment, “The good guys always wear a white hat.”

A celebration of life will be held at Sax-Tiedemann Funeral Home, with burial at Mount Emblem Cemetery on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, at 10:00 AM. 
In lieu of flowers, a donation in his name to the American Diabetes Foundation would be appreciated.