Benjamin Todd "Ben" DeRose

Benjamin Todd “Ben” DeRose, 21, of Raleigh, NC, went to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on the morning of October 18, 2021, due to injuries sustained in a pedestrian accident while walking home.

He was born on April 13, 2000 in Evry, France. From an early age, people were drawn to him for his kind heart and infectious smile. Ben was an excellent athlete in swimming, soccer and wrestling. Due to his hard work and determination, Ben was a nationally ranked wrestler in middle school and at the State level in high school. Ben earned the rank of Eagle Scout in 2016 with Troop 388. He graduated from Sanderson High School in 2018 and was finishing his senior year at North Carolina State University where he was pursuing a major in Microbiology. He became passionate about research during his internship with Pebble Labs in Los Alamos, New Mexico during the summer of 2019.

Ben was an active member and leader of the Beta Zeta chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. He was affectionately known as “The Captain”, because of his leadership as the new member educator. Ben was caring, kind and always had a strong shoulder to lean-on. He had a positive impact on everyone he met and his warmth and kindness will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Memorial services will be held on Friday, October 22nd at 3pm at Hope Lutheran Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Immediately following the memorial services will be a visitation at the church.

Ben was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Bob & Libbie DeRose. Ben is survived by his parents, Rick & Lanette DeRose of Sante Fe, NM; brother, Adam DeRose of Raleigh, NC; sister, Liza Fries & husband Michael of Bluffton, SC; nieces, Sarah Fries and Ella Rae Fries; nephew, Grady Theiling; maternal grandparents, Alfred & Bernice Boriack of Lincoln, TX; girlfriend, Eryn Szwarckop of Raleigh; aunts & uncles, Marty Braga (Paulo) of Standish, ME, RAD & Gayle DeRose of Victor, NY, Alton & Lynnette Boriack of Keller, TX and Nancy & James Walts of Ovilla, TX; cousins, Chris DeRose (Angela), Rob DeRose (Carmella), Libbie DiMarco (Trevor), Kyle Braga, Brooke Boriack, Raegan Boriack, Erin Walts and Austin Walts; numerous extended family members, his wrestling family, fraternity family and an endless list of close friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to a scholarship fund in Ben’s honor: https://gofund.me/9ab9adeb

A service of Clancy Strickland Wheeler Funeral Home, 1051 Durham Road, Wake Forest, NC 27587. (919) 556-7400.