Ben Christopher Thrasher

Ben Christopher Thrasher was born on June 3, 2003, in Waconia, Minnesota, and left this earth on September 10, 2026.

Ben was raised in Wahoo, Nebraska, where he grew up alongside people who became his forever friends. He attended school with them from kindergarten through graduation, sharing a lifetime of memories, laughter, and shenanigans. Ben loved football, basketball, and just about anything that was fun and had the potential for getting into a little trouble. His senior year will always go down in the books with all that he accomplished, but primarily the immense joy we saw in him! We are forever grateful for the way the Wahoo Community has loved us and most importantly how his brothers loved him, you know who you are!

Ben's favorite quality about himself was his ability to make people laugh—and not just smile, but truly laugh. The kind of laugh that makes your stomach hurt and leaves you catching your breath, and boy was he good at it. Ben’s contagious spirit caused you to want to lean in a little closer. It was hard to get enough of him. One of his brothers said, " The man was such a light in this world and we will remember him as such."

Ben was one of the smartest people most of us have ever known. We probably all admired that quality more than he did. Ben attended Texas A&M University, majoring in Finance at Mays Business School. While at Texas A&M, he joined the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity and developed friendships with young men that he deeply loved. Ben said that pledgeship was one of the best things he ever did and that those young men would be his forever brothers. He loved building the sets for Chili Fest and especially loved painting the big PIKE letters on the turf at their house-sorry to any of you who tried to help him-he was just a little particular. His fraternity brothers rallied around Ben on so many occasions, and there is no way to properly express our gratitude for their loyalty, love, and prayer.

Snowboarding was Ben’s favorite adventures. He loved trips with his friends to Colorado, with his Uncle Kris in Oregon, and with his family in New Mexico and Wyoming. But the best were the trips leaving his mom tending to his sister’s skills and ripping it up with his dad in the Snowy Mountains

Family was one of Ben’s greatest loves. His favorite times were the chaotic holidays at his grandparents’ home in Nebraska playing games with everyone, constantly trying to beat grandma (which he rarely did and he would want that to be acknowledged) and trying to have patience with his sister's lack of wanting to play games (all his fault due to his competitive nature, which he would also want acknowledged), explaining the rules of the game to his mom quietly so that no one would know she just didn’t get it...again, laughing and having ridiculous conversations with his cousins, getting in deep discussions, that most didn’t understand, with his aunt & uncle, and talking with his grandpa on the side. He just loved being a part of all things and he was so good at it. He never wanted the good times to end.

Ben loved his sister, Emma, with all his heart. He was so very proud of her. He often talked about how much he looked forward to raising their children together someday and that was his main reason for coming all the way to Texas. Emma’s love for the Lord helped pull Ben along as he sought his own relationship with God. He admired how natural her faith was and found inspiration in her relationship with the Lord.

On June 2, 2024, Ben gave his life to Jesus Christ in Nashville, Tennessee, all on his own-no friends, no family, just him. His text a few days before read, " Can you find me a church because I don't know how to do that?” His pursuit of the Lord was human, real, and evident in the way he continued to seek freedom and healing from his own beautiful mind. Ben had always struggled with depression and anxiety, but college heightened both, the high expectations he placed on himself caused him to look for ways to lessen the pain, unfortunately those ways gave strength to exactly what he was struggling against. Much of the time Ben did not recognize his own worth, but through Jesus, he learned that he was forgiven and oh so loved.

We are deeply grateful to The Arbor for loving and encouraging Ben as he reached four months of sobriety from drugs and alcohol, with the help of a very special counselor. We are thankful for every person who walked alongside him, encouraged him, prayed for him, and believed in him. The night before he passed the men in rehab had a gathering for those moving on to sober living called a, “coin out,” the men in his group described him as strong, smart, caring, diligent, trusting in God, fun, willing, welcoming, funny, humble, and, of course...a stud.

In the last few months of his life, one of Ben’s most common mantras was: “I just have to TRUST.” We encourage you to do the same. Life can be beyond challenging, and Ben understood that. He fought hard battles that many people could not see, and he fought them all too often. He did not simply give up. He continued to fight, to seek, to love, and to trust. We take comfort in knowing that Ben is now at peace and fully understands the depth of the love that surrounded him all along. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18

Ben would want us to take that fight outside these doors and do good. He would want us to lean into love, to make people laugh, to show up for one another, and to continue fighting the good fight alongside the Lord. A friend from Wahoo said that she loved how, “Ben was never too cool or too good for anyone.”

Ben is now in heaven with his grandmothers, Judy Fleener and Janet Thrasher; his grandfather, Ken Hargis; and his great-grandparents. He is survived by his loving family, Kevin, Kim, and Emma Thrasher; his grandfather, Tom Thrasher; his uncles, Kris Hargis and Jon Simonsen; his aunts, Heather Hargis and Kay Simonsen; and his cousins, Ava, Dane, and Hannah Simonsen, and Drew and Sam King; and all of his amazing friends and good people that have impacted and loved him along the way.

Our family will always be here for you whenever you want to pray, laugh or cry. Please honor Ben by sharing his story of strength and faith, and by carrying a part of him with you forever. Perhaps, through Ben’s story, one more person will find the strength to continue fighting alongside the Lord.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to support the Business Student Council's career closet at Mays Business School. Please make checks out to "Texas A&M Foundation" and write "Account #58182" in the memo line. Mail to: Texas A&M Foundation, 401 George Bush Drive, College Station, TX 77840. Credit card gifts can be made at this link (Give) by searching the account number above and selecting "Business Student Council Excellence Endowment."