Ben Kaplan, age 88, of Northbrook, IL, passed away on November 3, 2020, Ben was born on June 10, 1932 in Chicago, IL. He is predeceased by his parents Sarah and Hyman Kaplan, sister Idelle Katz and brother Robert Kaplan. Ben is survived by his devoted wife and best friend Phyllis Kaplan (nee Strauss); sister Annette Abrahams; brother-in-law Richard (late Donna) Strauss; children Emily (Adam) Crane, Josh (Sarah) Berman, Benjamin (Julie) Berman, Michael, Mark and Scott Schwartz; grandchildren Abby, Simon, Natalie, Jackie, James, Teddy, Sydney, Annabel, and Roy.
Ben was a successful and proud business owner, having built and run Automotive Technical Institute in Chicago for 30 years. He loved the Bears and the Sox and read The Chicago Tribune cover to cover every Sunday morning. He enjoyed taking long driving trips and sharing meals and good conversation with devoted friends and family.
Above all, Ben was a dedicated family man. He loved spending time at his children’s homes, sharing Sunday night dinners and holidays. He often reflected “how blessed are we?” after time spent together.
Private funeral services will be held on Thursday, November 5 at 1:00 p.m. CST and will be shared via Zoom at www.goldmanfuneralgroup.com. For the Zoom link,
CLICK HERE. The Zoom will be up approximately 15 minutes prior to the service.
The family requests that memorial donations be sent to: Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute, https://osrui.org/donate/, CJE SeniorLife, https://www.cje.net/donate, or National Alliance on Mental Illness Cook County North Suburban, https://namiccns.org/donate/. Info: The Goldman Funeral Group (847) 478-1600.