Bernard Eugene Minerath "Ben", Jr., age 87, passed on to eternal life on June 16, 2023. Ben passed in his home peacefully, surrounded by his children. Ben was born August 14, 1935 in Milwaukee, WI. He was the eldest son of Bernard and Therese (Petersdorff) Minerath, and the middle sibling of five children. Ben grew up in Milwaukee, WI and attended Don Bosco High School. After graduation, Ben met the love of his life, Joan Welter in 1955 and the two were wed on June 15, 1957. Ben and Joan were blessed with six children. Ben was always a patriot and at the age of 17 joined the National Guard, 32nd Division, 127th infantry, Company "K" Milwaukee until he enlisted in the US Air Force in 1955 where he served until he was honorably discharged in 1959. Ben was stationed at Eielson AFB, Fairbanks, AK, and Westover AFB in Springfield, MA. He was a member of AMVETS - Chippewa Valley, Red Arrow Post 32. While in the Air Force, Ben was introduced to computers and became a Programmer Trainee in 1960. Over the years he advanced to Computer Systems Analyst and during his career he was employed with JI Case, Kearney and Trecker, Koehring, ITT Financial Services, and the City of West Allis. Ben retired from the City of West Allis in September, 1997. Ben was active in the community, volunteering at Sacred Heart Hospital delivering gifts to patients and volunteered at Paul Bunyan Logging Camp sharing local history with visitors. Ben was a devout Catholic and a member of Sacred Heart - St. Patrick Parish, Eau Claire, WI, where he gave much of his time assisting with church events. He was a Third Degree Knight with the Knights of Columbus. Ben is survived by his six children; Bernard (Cheryl) Minerath, Jean (Stephen) Mathieu, Frances (Troy) Azbill, Mary Rider, David (Diane) Minerath, and Lori (Terry) Bandle; 15 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren; his four siblings Kathleen (Gordan) Paprocki, Geraldine (Edmund) Mackowski, Joseph (Diane) Minerath, and Thomas (Sherry) Minerath; and special friend Carol Benning. Ben was preceded in death by Joan Minerath, his beloved bride of 60 years; parents, Bernard J. Minerath, Sr. and Therese Minerath; and his grandson, Bernard Minerath. Mass of Christian Burial will be Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 10:30 a.m., St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 322 Fulton St, Eau Claire with Fr. Bill Dhein and George Thayilkuzhithottu officiating. Visitation will be Tuesday, June 20, 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., at Lenmark-Gomsrud-Linn Funeral & Cremation Services, 814 1st Ave, Eau Claire, WI. Visitation will also be held from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., immediately before Mass at the church. Private burial service will be held after Mass at Lakeview Cemetery, Eau Claire. Military honors will be conducted by American Legion Post 53 and VFW 7232. In lieu of flowers, donations are greatly appreciated to the ALS Support Group of Northwest Wisconsin http://alswalk.org/ or ALS Association Wisconsin Chapter https://donate.wi.als.org/ Ben's family extends our most heartfelt gratitude to staff of HSHS St. Joseph's Hospice for the extraordinary care and compassion all these devoted caregivers showed to Ben. To express online condolences, please visit www.lenmarkfh.com.