Benjamin Douglas Kraus was a quick wit, a natural athlete and a top-notch dancer. He was an avid reader, always up for a debate, and a fitness expert. Though he was serious when it came to achieving his goals, he was also big-hearted with an explosive and infectious laugh. After being diagnosed with an incurable neurological condition at age 14, he went on to earn a 4.2 GPA at Glenbrook South, lift weights, and earn admission to the University of Southern California, where he graduated on the Dean’s List with degrees in Economics and Finance. He turned a summer internship into a job as an analyst at investment bank MUFG, starting in 2017, but symptoms of the disease forced him off the job permanently in less than a year. Over the next 6 years, the disease progressively robbed him of his mobility, motor skills, and cognitive faculties, although he went out fighting. We lost him on January 23, 2024 at the age of 29.

Ben was born December 2nd, 1994 in Evanston, Illinois. He came out swingin’ and throwin’- his enthusiasm for life was immediate. From an early age, Ben was a super-fit guy who never half-assed anything. As a toddler he had a great golf swing (instructed by his Grandpa Harry), could throw a perfect spiral with a football, and was sinking baskets while still in diapers. He was a big Chicago sports fan, especially of the Cubs and Blackhawks. As a kid he was an avid fan of Ohio State football, attending his first game at age one-and-a-half.

Ben played and followed a myriad of sports over the years - soccer, basketball, football, baseball, tennis and lacrosse - but he had a whole range of interests. Music was a big part of his life: he loved jamming out and dancing to classic rock in the living room of the family home in Glenview, took guitar lessons, and his Bar Mitzvah in 2009 was Rock ‘n’ Roll themed, with vinyl record centerpieces for each of his “greatest hits.” He also enjoyed video and board games, with various obsessions over the years including Pokemon on Gameboy, Madden & NCAA on Xbox, and chess with Zayde. One passion that was constant throughout his life was his love of animals, especially dogs; his pets were so important to him and he always lit up when he was around a dog. Ben had a voracious appetite and was known for incredible feats of feasting, setting family records for number of ice cream cones and pieces of sushi eaten in one sitting (as well a few times where his appetite got the better of him, including infamous incidents involving blueberries and a turkey leg).

At age 14, Ben was diagnosed with Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), a rare incurable, genetic disease that gradually destroys the myelin coating of the body’s nerves. This devastating news was not only terrifying, but meant making some major life changes and having to say goodbye to certain activities, including organized sports. But Ben did not wallow. He immediately threw himself into his schoolwork and personal fitness. He started eating healthy and working out under the tutelage of The Edge trainers in Glenview.

By his senior year he could deadlift twice his weight. He came home most days after high school to a healthy pre-workout snack and then headed to the gym until dinner. Some afternoons included stops at his Bubbe’s & Zayde’s for educational assistance and chess, respectively. Evenings were homework and studying. Half day of schoolwork on Saturday and the kid was doing it all. A highlight of high school was Ben’s and his friend’s sports radio news and commentary show on the high school station: “Ben & Ben in the Afternoon.” He graduated from GBS with honors in 2013.

Ben attended the University of Southern California, where he joined the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. During college, Ben’s passion for fitness continued and deepened his love of reading. Building on habits built as a teenager, he developed his trademark self-discipline as well as healthy enthusiasm for a good party; he could climb a 30-foot high rope using his bare hands and the soles of his feet with ease, but also made sure he and Ken were the two-time father-son beer pong champs at the Delta house.

In 2017, soon after he started his investment bank job, the disease started taking hold; it fundamentally changed him physically and mentally. He started having difficulty walking and then suffered constant, excruciating pain in his legs from neuropathy associated with the disease. These symptoms only worsened. A brain MRI indicated demyelinating starting, and he came close to having a bone marrow transplant in 2018 to try and stop that process, but at the last minute, an MRI showed the progression appeared to have stopped. Doctors determined the BMT was not immediately necessary to save his life, so Ben decided to not to go through with the transplant then.

The isolation imposed on all of us during the COVID-19 pandemic had an enormous impact on Ben’s quality of life. During this time, he moved around, living in Madison WI, Austin TX, Chicago IL, and finally moving in with LuAnn and her brother Hap in Kent, Ohio in 2022, by which time he could barely walk on his own. Ben’s condition worsened and LuAnn got guardianship in early 2023. LuAnn took him to the hospital suffering from life-threatening infections; the rest of the year was a series of hospital visits and nursing home stays as the infections subsided but the disease took his mind and body. To the end, Ben was trying to work in therapy to keep what he could, and his efforts made the work of caring for him safer and more effective; staff at the nursing home loved working with him.

Ben was many things. He enjoyed the writings of Marcus Aurelius and Sun Tzu, but enjoyed doing the “Dougie” more. He was a huge fan of Tony Stark and Captain America, especially. A few of his favorite movies were Remember the Titans, Rudy and Scent of a Woman (“Tango On” was tattooed on his arm). He always identified with the underdogs.

Growing up, his dog Duchess was his best friend and so were Willis and Breezy, who sat with him on the couch for a year in Kent and visited him in his Cuyahoga Falls nursing home in the months leading up to his death.

Over the course of his life he loved being with family. As a kid he was curious, fun-seeking, and goofy. As an adult he was diligent, driven, and steadfast - and possessed superhuman strength to endure what he did for so long. He was very much alive and up for anything. We loved him very much and will miss him for the rest of our lives.

We are in the process of making arrangements for memorial gatherings in the Spring. We invite you to make a donation in Ben’s honor to organizations fighting ALD.

When plans are formalized, we’ll let everyone know via Caring Bridge and Facebook, among other platforms. 

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