Santiago West Missionary said Farewell to Earthly Mission

Elder Benjamin Taylor Jennings Will Be Missed Benjamin Taylor Jennings, missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, age 19, died Saturday, May 21, 2011 while serving in the Santiago Chile West Mission. The cause of death is not yet known; he collapsed on his morning jog with his companion and could not be revived. A memorial service will be held Wednesday, May 25, 7:00 p.m. at the Latter-day Saint meetinghouse, 20 Boscobel Road, Fredericksburg, VA 22405. A memorial service is planned for Friday, May 27, 11:00 a.m. at 1915 North Canyon Road, Provo UT, 84604. He will be buried in East Lawn Memorial Hills Cemetery, Provo, UT. Ben was born August 2, 1991 in Fairfax, VA to David T. and Emily Oaks Jennings. The family moved Naperville, IL in 1993 and later Elburn, IL. In 2006 they moved to Fredericksburg, VA, south of Washington DC. Ben was a 2009 graduate with honors of Stafford Senior High School. He was an accomplished artist, cartooning and illustrating for his high school newspaper and for the youth section of the Free Lance-Star newspaper. Ben attended Brigham Young University in Provo, UT fall and winter semesters, 2009-10. Ben departed on his mission in September, teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and providing service to the Chilean people. Ben loved serving the Lord, the people in Chile, and the other missionaries. He loved Mission President Richard and Melinda King. There are no words to describe our sorrow at his loss, but we find comfort in the knowledge that we will be with him again in the next life. He was a great missionary, son, brother, and friend. It was a privilege and delight to know him. He touched many lives for good in the short time he spent with us, and he will be deeply missed. Ben is survived by his parents and siblings Leah (18), Westley (15), and Wendy (13), and by grandparents Harold and Ima Jean Oaks of Orem (Virginia Oaks, deceased), and Julia Jennings of Bountiful.