Ben was born in Dividend, Utah Co, Utah, which is now a ghost town, located 4.5 miles east of Eureka, Utah. He grew up in Utah and Nevada, living in Dividend, Salt Lake City, and Greenville (in Utah) and in Ely, Ruth, and Reno (in Nevada). While living in Ruth, he was a paper boy in the red light district. While living in Reno, he worked in a butcher shop and in a bakery, before leaving to join the Navy.
He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII, from 1944 until Dec 1947. He was stationed with some of the first occupational forces into Japan in Sept 1945, and then he was in China for 2 years (he was in China when the communists started taking over). He was on the USS Savo Island, an aircraft carrier.
When he came home from the war, Ben worked for the Reno Post Office until going to work for the Reno Fire Dept in June 1948. He worked there for 10 years while continuing his education. He owned Winn Real Estate & Accounting in Reno after leaving the fire department.
He joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 3 August 1957, in Reno, Nevada, along with his wife and oldest child.
He was elected as a Washoe County Commissioner and served as County Commission Chairman; The Fair and Recreation Board; The Washoe County Hospital Board; and The Liquor & Game Board.
Ben worked in the Boy Scouts for 30 years. He was on the Nevada Area Council of the BSA and the Sonoma-Mendocino Area Council of the BSA.
Ben was Commander of Reno VFW Post 407 (the youngest in Reno history) and Department Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Nevada. In 1963, he was elected nationally as Trustee of the VFW National Home for Widows & Orphans at Eaton Rapids, Michigan serving for 5 Years representing Calif., Nev., Ariz., & Hawaii. He was elected President of the National Home for 1966-67.
He moved to Petaluma, California in 1963 and worked as a Real Estate Appraiser and Land Purchaser of Sub-Stations for Pacific Gas & Electric, out of the main office in San Francisco. He then worked as Railroad Coordinator for Pacific Gas & Electric until his retirement from illness in 1984.
He died in 1988 from a rare form of incurable brain cancer (Oligodendroglioma), 1 year and 3 months after being diagnosed.
Ben is the grandfather of Trevor Peterson.
Ben was born in Dividend, Utah Co, Utah, which is now a ghost town, located 4.5 miles east of Eureka, Utah. He grew up in Utah and Nevada, living in Dividend, Salt Lake City, and Greenville (in Utah) and in Ely, Ruth, and Reno (in Nevada). While living in Ruth, he was a paper boy in the red light district. While living in Reno, he worked in a butcher shop and in a bakery, before leaving to join the Navy.
He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII, from 1944 until Dec 1947. He was stationed with some of the first occupational forces into Japan in Sept 1945, and then he was in China for 2 years (he was in China when the communists started taking over). He was on the USS Savo Island, an aircraft carrier.
When he came home from the war, Ben worked for the Reno Post Office until going to work for the Reno Fire Dept in June 1948. He worked there for 10 years while continuing his education. He owned Winn Real Estate & Accounting in Reno after leaving the fire department.
He joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 3 August 1957, in Reno, Nevada, along with his wife and oldest child.
He was elected as a Washoe County Commissioner and served as County Commission Chairman; The Fair and Recreation Board; The Washoe County Hospital Board; and The Liquor & Game Board.
Ben worked in the Boy Scouts for 30 years. He was on the Nevada Area Council of the BSA and the Sonoma-Mendocino Area Council of the BSA.
Ben was Commander of Reno VFW Post 407 (the youngest in Reno history) and Department Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Nevada. In 1963, he was elected nationally as Trustee of the VFW National Home for Widows & Orphans at Eaton Rapids, Michigan serving for 5 Years representing Calif., Nev., Ariz., & Hawaii. He was elected President of the National Home for 1966-67.
He moved to Petaluma, California in 1963 and worked as a Real Estate Appraiser and Land Purchaser of Sub-Stations for Pacific Gas & Electric, out of the main office in San Francisco. He then worked as Railroad Coordinator for Pacific Gas & Electric until his retirement from illness in 1984.
He died in 1988 from a rare form of incurable brain cancer (Oligodendroglioma), 1 year and 3 months after being diagnosed.
Ben is the grandfather of Trevor Peterson.
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Benjamin F Winn
US Navy
World War II
Nov 6 1927 - Feb 13 1988
Family Members
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