Benjamin Roger Hippe, 86, died on April 1, 2021 at Mayo Clinic Hospital (St. Marys) in Rochester, Minn. He was born on July 14, 1934 to Ben and Jenny Hippe and was raised in Edgerton, Wis., with three sisters and two brothers. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin â Madison in August 1956 and reported for duty as a U.S. Naval Officer on board the destroyer USS Boyd home ported in San Diego, Calif. In December 1956, he married Ruth Ann (Sue) Towns in Fulton, Wis., and returned to San Diego to complete his naval service including three cruises to the Western Pacific. Ben attended law school at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 1962. He then moved to Rochester to begin his legal career at Mayo Clinic. Ben and Sue raised three children, Daniel (Barbara) of Oakton, Va., Sara Staab (Jeffrey) of Rochester, Minn., and Eric (Susan) of Monument, Colo.