Ben Brupbacher, 93, died peacefully at his home on Saturday March 26.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Lois Weil Brupbacher, their four children, Mary Antonini,(Larry), Leslie Kramer (Bill), Chris Brupbacher (Neci) and Ellen Addison (Jay). Grandfather to Jonathan Kramer (Aimee), Katie Marcel (Jay), Benjamin Kramer, Christopher & Jacob Brupbacher. Great-grandfather to Clark, Lila and Coen Kramer and Dylan Marcel. He is also survived by his sister Elsie Martinez and Daniel J. Brupbacher (Alice) his brother. He was preceded in death by his parents, Benjamin and Geraldine Brupbacher, sister Helen Callaghan(Bill) , his grandsons Cyrus L. Barker and Justin Addison.
An engineering prodigy, Ben graduated valedictorian from Warren Easton Senior High and received a full scholarship to Tulane University where he graduated first in his class in Mechanical Engineering.
He joined the Sea-bees as a Lieutenant and served in Okinawa during World War II. After the war he joined the Trane Co. as a sales engineer, eventually leaving Trane for James F. O’Neil in 1950 where he was voted Who’s Who in Orleans Industries for his work. In 1956, he left James F. O’Neil to start his own company, Albach Co., with his partner, Louis Alfonso. Through his tireless work and success he expanded Albach to include Cembell Industries in Chalmette, La.
He enjoyed many years taking customers and family fishing on his boat the Miss Happ in Breton Sound. An avid hunter and fisherman, his passion and expertise led him to aid in forming the CCA of Louisiana in order to conserve marine life and the coastal environment. While raising their four children, Ben and Lois became avid world travelers, frequenting the Yucatan Peninsula, where the family explored Mayan ruins and made lifelong friends.
In his early life, he spent countless hours in City Park, fishing in the lagoons and paddling in Bayou St. John. His love of the outdoors led him to look for rural property. In 1974, he bought his first piece of land in Mississippi. What started as a weekend getaway for the family became an outlet for his restless work ethic; he built houses, grew crops, took steps to conserve the land and made the property self-sustaining. He became a farmer, tennis player, woodsman and conservationist.
His farm has not only served as a treasure for family and friends, but also became a temporary home for many after Katrina. In the aftermath of the storm, Cembell moved to Laplace and grew incrementally. Today, with over 300 employees, Cembell Industries is one of the premier fabricators of process equipment in North America. Up until December 2016, Ben was still working every day, fishing, and traveling to the farm on weekends. His legacy of successful entrepreneurship and his strong work ethic will live on through his children and grandchildren as he moves on to the cosmos to join his grandsons Cyrus and Justin.
The family would like to give special thanks to Dr. Frank Wilklow and everyone at Gifted Health Care especially Tina Bacchus, Iana Carter and Gina Cardoza.
Relatives and friends of the family at invited to attend A Celebration of Life at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., (In Metairie Cemetery) on Friday, March 31 at 1 p.m. Visitation will begin at 10:30 am. Interment will follow in Metairie Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer donations to Friends of City Park, Land Trust for Louisiana and/or CCA Louisiana.
To view and sign the Funeral Guest Book, please visit lakelawnmetairie.com
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