Benjamin Franklin Williamson died on September 8, 2026 from Parkinson's disease after a long life of service to God, country, community, family, and the natural world. He was born on October 28, 1937, in Darlington, South Carolina, the second child of Sara Dargan Williamson and Frank Williamson.

Ben graduated from Princeton University and studied botany at the University of North Carolina, where he contributed to the Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.

He served in the United States Marine Corps as an infantry officer and platoon commander at Camp Pendleton, California, then as a reserve commander in Charleston, earning the rank of captain. His love of the Marine Corps remained a lifelong source of pride and became a point of connection with family members who followed his example of service to Country.

When his father became ill, his mother called Ben home to farm. What began as a five-year commitment became a lifelong calling after he met Ann Niemeyer on a blind date. Together, he and Ann built a home, raised their children, and made the family farm, Oaklyn, a welcoming place for extended family and friends, horticulturalists and researchers, farmers seeking innovative practices, and nature enthusiasts.

For Ben, farming was an act of devotion to land, community, and his predecessors. He farmed conventionally at first, but his love for ecology led him to ask his father to stop growing cotton, then a lucrative crop that required intensive pesticide use and threatened the biodiversity of the land. As an employer, he chose people over machinery whenever possible, offering work to members of the local community rather than mechanizing the farm.

After many years of growing tobacco, Ben moved Oaklyn toward even more sustainable practices, including organic farming, grass-fed beef cattle, sustainable timber management, and nursery trees.

He served on the boards of the South Carolina Nurseryman's Association and the South Carolina Urban and Community Forestry Council, and he was among the first certified arborists in the state.

Ben devoted both his professional expertise and civic spirit to Williamson Park in Darlington. He worked with others to revitalize the Park's trail system and native plantings time and again.

He helped reactivate the Black Creek Protective Association to protect the creek from upstream pollution and bring statewide visibility to water quality issues. He also worked with neighbors to oppose a gas pipeline that would have bisected the surrounding agricultural community. He was an early member of the Pawleys Island Civic Association and helped establish the SCDNR Heritage Trust Program to protect unique natural communities in South Carolina.

Ben pioneered the use of conservation easements for land protection in South Carolina through his leadership in the Black Creek Land Trust and the Pee Dee Land Trust, and by donating an agricultural easement on Oaklyn. In 2004, the American Farmland Trust recognized him as Steward of the Land.

Faith was central to Ben's life. He read the Bible daily, relied on the Holy Spirit as counsel in his decisions, and made prayer a steady practice. A lifelong member of St. Matthew's Church in Darlington, he sang in the choir, served on the vestry, and was often the last person to leave any event.

He often recited King David's prayer: "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all."

Ben was conservative in his use of resources, whether water, fuel, electricity, or any modern amenity. He was deeply disciplined in nearly every aspect of life, apart from his fondness for eating ice cream.

Like his wife, Ann, who died only four days before him, he was deeply community-minded and welcomed newcomers with genuine interest. Their home and farm reflected their shared hospitality, rootedness, and love for people and place.

Above all, Ben understood Oaklyn and the Williamson family home as a gift entrusted temporarily to him. He honored that gift by stewarding the land, welcoming others to it, protecting its native habitats, and passing along a vision of faithful care for creation, family, and home.

Ben is preceded in death by his wife Ann Niemeyer Williamson, his sister Sara and brother-in-law Bill Rambo. He is survived by his siblings and in-laws Edwin and Kathe, Bright and Kat, Keith and Caroline, Isabel and Steve, Benton and Elisabeth, and honorary sister-in-law Lydia, as well as his three children and their spouses and 6 grandchildren: Frank and Spring, Jennie and Vincent Pezé, and Carroll and Collins, Louise, Arlo, Virginia, Ben, Genevieve, and Eliza.

The family will hold a private burial. A memorial service is planned for 2:00 p.m. on November 27th at St. Matthew's Church in Darlington. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to St. Matthew's Church, 210 S. Main Street, Darlington, SC 29532 or the Pee Dee Land Trust, 448 W Cheves St, Florence, SC 29501.