Born and raised in Saint Paul, MN on November 26, 1968, to single mother Ms. Willie Mae Kelker (Rucker). Ben, who was a mama’s boy grew up to be a proud father of three beautiful girls and one handsome boy and was a little-big brother who protected all of his siblings. It all started in Mt. Airy, where Ben would be outside shooting his BB-Grun and pitching pennies with his little sister, Amanda and best friend's Tony, James, Pete, Myron, and his cousin, Charles. Ben loved to play basketball and steal his big brother and sister change to buy fireworks and candy at the bar store. Ben’s joy for fishing started with his late grandmother, Mrs. Josephine along with his love of playing bingo. Ben enjoyed working as a line cook in the restaurant business where he met some pretty cool people who would later become great friends of his. Ben was 55 years young when he decided to reunite with the true love of his life, his mother, on January 19, 2024, surrounded by his children and grandchildren. Ben is preceded in death by his grandparent’s Joeshine and Jimmie James; uncles, Willie Barber and Robert Lee Milton; brother, Lil Emmet Rucker “Bubba”; sisters, Teri Lynn Ridley, Latocshia Bibbins, and Angela Kelker “Angie”; best friends, Eugene Payne Jr. “Dunney”, Myron Johnson and James Peterson.