Obituary of Benjamin L. Dumdey
Benjamin Lewis "Ride-Or-Die" Dumdey came into this world and grabbed it by the horns.
Born May 13th, 1972, he grew up in the piney woods of Maine, in a home perched beside a powerful tidal river whose ebb and flow, freeze and thaw, and tumbling rapids etched within him a lifelong love of nature, of snow, of seasonal cycles.
In his early years he attended Woolwich Central School, and then graduated from Morse High School in 1990, itching to head West.
In 1996 he moved to Phoenix, Arizona to attend a year-long intensive Harley Davidson Certified Mechanic program. The Ride-or-Die philosophy mirrored the strength and passion with which Ben lived his life.
A traveler at heart, Ben was rugged and easy going and could just as easily inhabit a camper, a tent, or a boat as he would a house. His adventurous spirit reveled in every activity: He skied, he fished, he worked construction, he cooked, he biked, and he laughed deeply.
Ben never traveled alone for long. His friends were the lifeblood that fed his incredible strength and he found them wherever he went. He played hard and loved even harder. When he walked in the room, you could feel both a hug and a fist-bump coming at the same time.
He was also a meticulous and artistic builder when working construction gigs, but also a talented cook -- he loved to create with his hands with whatever materials came his way.
For the last 10+ years he's put that love and craftsmanship into the Tucson food scene: first at Rocco's Little Chicago Pizzeria, and then in the last 5 years in the kitchen of Tucson Food Conspiracy Coop.
But his biggest joy and passion came when he stepped into fatherhood in 2020 for his son, Logan Lewis Schweitzer.
He was a lover of life and a builder of connections in all ways. His legacy is the love he extended to others, his tribe, his incredible sense of humor and fun, his creative eye, his ready assistance to anything a friend or loved one might need - even as he battled throat cancer for his last year, and all the complications that came with it.
Besides his young son, Ben is survived by both parents: Joanna Wark Dumdey (82) residing in Tucson, Arizona, and Paul Henry Dumdery (82) of Woowich, Maine; 2 sisters: Elizabeth Dumdey Bartelsen (57) of Tucson, Arizona, and Margaret Anne Webb (55) of Austin, Texas; and 2 nieces: Mila Connor Webb (22) of Austin, Texas, and Inge Bartelsen (19) of Tucson, Arizona.
Ben's sudden passing on March 10, 2023 left a vacuum in the lives of so many in every corner of the country, land and sea. His light shone deep into the hearts of all those whose lives he touched, and he will be deeply missed.
