RUTLAND — Ben Boltz passed away peacefully on April 1, 2023, at his home in Rutland, Vt., in the care of his spouse, Antoinette “Toni” Boltz, at the age of 84 years. A loving father of three children, and four grandchildren, Ben was born in 1939 to Benjamin Boltz and Ruth (nee Laubach) and raised under the care and guidance of his paternal grandmother, Maud Irene Boltz. He was predeceased by his sister, Bonnie Wetzlar of Miami, Fla.; and his half-brother, Peter Boltz of Orwigsburg, Pa.

He attended the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Textile School (now Thomas Jefferson University), having grown up in the knitting mills of his grandparents, Jacob and Maud Boltz. He applied his knowledge of textiles and knitting mills to launching Becky’s Fashions, a clothing factory in Pottsville, Pa., in the 1970s.

A Shriner and Freemason, Ben felt called to service. He worked for over 30 years as an emergency medical technician (EMT) for Brandon Rescue Squad and Killington Ski Patrol. He was a realtor by trade, working for Killington Realty.

In the 1980s, he was a member of the selectboard for the town of Brandon. Ben enjoyed spending weekends with the family at Branbury State Park on Lake Dunmore.

In his retirement, he enjoyed spending time in Topsail, N.C., with his wife Toni. They also enjoyed taking trips to Penn State in the fall to cheer on their Nittany Lions.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in his memory to either Brandon Area Rescue Squad, PO Box 232, Brandon, Vt., 05733, or Penn State’s Levi Lamb Fund (Nittany Lion Club) at https://raise.psu.edu.

Friends and family are invited to call at 3 p.m., followed by a memorial service celebrating his life, on April 15, at 4 p.m., at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 6 Church Hill Road, Rutland, Vermont 05701.◊