Obituary: Benjamin “Ben” Learned, 1982-2026

Benjamin “Ben” Learned, 43, of Georgia, Vt., passed away on April 16, 2026.

Born on October 11, 1982, in Burlington, Vt., Ben was the son of Lori Simard and John Learned. He grew up in South Burlington before moving to Winooski, where he graduated from high school.

On April 25, 2015, Ben married the love of his life, Ashley Learned. Although they were married for 11 years, their love story began 20 years earlier, after meeting while working at Shaw’s. Together they built a beautiful life centered on their greatest joy, their daughter, Ava. Above all, Ben was a devoted husband and extraordinary father. Nothing brought him more joy than being Ava’s dad.

Ben gave his all in everything he did. His work ethic, leadership and dedication earned the respect of everyone who had the privilege of working alongside him, most recently when he was produce manager at Hannaford. Before that, he spent many years at Jericho Market, where he worked his way up to store director.

Outside of work, Ben enjoyed spending time with his family, especially their annual beach vacations together in Maine and their more recent adventures to Rhode Island and Florida. He was a lifelong fan of the New England Patriots. Ben and Ashley became Boston Celtics fans and loved watching games as a family. They even celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary with a trip to a Celtics game. He also enjoyed playing Xbox in his downtime.

He loved telling stories about his hilarious outbursts during manager meetings and had a knack for making everyone laugh. Anyone who knew Ben knew he could light up a room. He had an infectious sense of humor, a generous heart, and a way of making everyone around him feel welcome and cared for. He loved deeply and gave everything he had to everything he did. He had a natural gift for mentoring others, leading by example and making work enjoyable. He believed in helping people succeed by being the best role model he could be.

Let’s not forget about his talent in the kitchen. He was well known for his homemade pizza and calzones and for never turning down a good piece of center meat. He was a perfectionist in the kitchen, always finding ways to doctor his recipes.

Even this loving man also had a little bit of a stubborn side. If Ben didn’t want to do something, good luck changing his mind! If he had to spend more than 10 minutes trying to fix something, it might just get broken or at least thrown across the room.

Ben’s kindness, laughter, unwavering work ethic and endless love for his family will never be forgotten. The memories he created and the lives he touched will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.

Ben is survived by his loving wife, Ashley Learned; beloved 8-year-old daughter, Ava Learned; mother, Lori Simard (Lenny) of Essex; father, John Learned of Burlington; grandmother, Hilda Morrill of Essex; brothers, Zachary Learned (Caitlin) of Colchester, Jake Learned (Alisha) of Massachusetts and Alex Learned of Burlington; and sisters, Patty Learned Godoy (Josue) of California, Jillian Learned of Burlington and Halle Shine of Indiana.

He is also survived by his aunt, Donna Blake (Shane) of Colchester; uncles, Henry of Essex, Randy (Susan) of Cambridge and David (Dawn) of Westford; cousins, Emily Bishop (Randall) of Hinesburg, John Blake and Kyle Blake of Colchester, Melissa Berard (Daniel) of Hinesburg, Jeremy Morrill of Westford, Andrew Morrill of New Hampshire, Justin (Lindi) Morrill of Cambridge, and Kelly Morrill of Cambridge; along with many other extended family members and dear friends who loved him.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, 12:30-3 p.m., at Greg Brown Lodge, Hard’ack Recreation Area, 264 Hard’ack, St. Albans, Vermont 05478.

For those who wish to honor Ben’s memory or support Ava’s future, donations may be made to either of the following: Afterglow (afterglowfoundation.com), a suicide prevention organization in Vermont; or the 529 college savings plan that has been established for Ava to support her future education. Thank you.