Ben William Gilmore

Ben William Gilmore was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, on August 23, 1929. He lived a life in service to our Lord and to our country. On March 30, 2023, Ben went to be with his heavenly Father while sleeping in his home in Citrus Heights, California.

A celebration of his life will be held on Thursday, April 13 at 1:30pm at Destiny Church in Rocklin, CA.

Ben had a full life and saw the world change in his ninety-three years. He was born into The Great Depression and recounted stories of picking cotton in his youth. He moved frequently with his parents during his school years, completing his primary education in New York City. He told stories of becoming an Eagle Scout and going off for weekend adventures with his Scout Patrols, hitchhiking to wherever their ride took them, and then heading into the woods with nothing but a few essentials in their packs. Once, when he lived with his parents in an apartment overlooking the Hudson River, he used his flashlight to do Morse Code with the sailors and ended up inviting them up for drinks. His dad didn’t know until all those men started knocking on his door! But that was his way: always an open door. Summers were spent in Texas on his grandfather’s farm. He learned about hard work and business. His grandfather was also an inventor, a talent which Ben inherited, and which got him into trouble on more than one occasion.

In 1950, Ben was attending Arlington State University, where his roommate introduced him to his fiancé’s sister, Frances Hudgens. They fell in love but the war in Korea was heating up! Knowing the draft notice was in the mail, and having no desire to serve in the Army, Ben marched down to the USAF office and enlisted. In 1951 he completed Pilot Training at Reece AFB and headed off to Korea. He flew sabre jets right up along the border until he was poached by USAF Intelligence to become a courier. When his tour was up, he wanted to re-enlist. Frances told him that would be fine, but not to bother looking for her when he came home. Captain Gilmore came straight home and married Frances in 1953.

After leaving the military, Ben launched into his education, earning Bachelor of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering from Southern Methodist University. From there he went on to Harvard and earned his MBA, while Frances earned her PHT (Putting Hubby Through) from Harvard University, as well. This was an actual certificate given from Harvard.

Ben and Fran started their family in 1954, but in 1956, their first child, Virginia Faye, went to be with the Lord.

Ben worked for Cameron Iron Works and was in sales all over New England. During this time, he also got involved in politics, running and winning the Goldwater presidential campaign in Connecticut. The Republican Party approached him to run for the US Senate, but he wanted nothing to do with the Washington establishment. Instead, he took the family to California to make his mark in the business world.

In California, Ben worked as a business consultant for many different companies. He also helped his father with his own business, called Protective Cover Service. When his father died, Ben inherited the family business.

Ben and Fran lived in Freemont, Upland, and Morgan Hill with their two children, Guy and Fawn. In Upland they were active in the Jesus Movement and attended Calvary Chapel with Chuck Smith. During this time, they also became involved in Teen Challenge and Youth With A Mission, offering their home as a refuge for troubled teens.

In 1972, they moved their family to Morgan Hill and had their fourth child, Susan. God was still working and pulling them, so in 1977, Ben and Fran took Fawn and Susan and taught about the character of God at YWAM schools in 34 countries around the world. This included smuggling Bibles behind the Iron Curtain into Romania and Hungry. In 1978, they returned to the States and worked full-time with YWAM in Solvang, California. When the base moved to Texas, the family moved back up to Morgan Hill, where they stayed until 2007.

While in Morgan Hill, Ben met Verna Hall and Rosalie Slater, who introduced him to America’s Christian History. In 1984, taking what he had learned, Ben started teaching the principles of American Government at his ACH seminars. In 1986, he applied these principles to the campaign trail in his bid for State Assembly. The California Republican Party was not prepared for a man of principle, and he went toe to toe with the establishment as a part of the Central Committee for Santa Clara, Monterey, and Merced counties, as well as the State Central Committee. All the while, he taught through his weekly column in the Morgan Hill Times and continued his annual seminars, which drew students from around the country. At this time they also were deeply involved with the Church of the Valley.

In 2007, Ben and Fran moved to Citrus Heights, California to be near their son, Guy, and their daughter-in-law, Linda. They tapped into their love for hospitality and began again hosting strangers in their home through AirBnB. Many of their guests have become good friends. They also started to attend Destiny Church. Ben continued teaching an online class for select students on Constitutional Government, accredited through William Jessup University. He continued teaching this class until Parkinson’s made it too difficult to communicate effectively. He published his third and final book, The Principles of American Government, in 2020, through the Foundation for American Christian Education. It is now used in schools across the country. His writing continued through a blog that he published until his death.

Ben lived a full life. He saw history unfold from The Great Depression to the dawn of Artificial Intelligence.

Ben was preceded in death by his daughter, Virginia. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Frances; his children, Guy, Fawn, and Susan; 4 grandchildren; and 4 great-grandchildren.