Benjamin Cole Olberg

Benjamin Cole Olberg Obituary Benjamin Cole Olberg, age 20, passed away Monday, July 21, 2025 at Norfolk Naval Base in Norfolk, Virginia. He was born February 1, 2005, in Arlington Heights, the son of Jason and Christine (Terpstra) Olberg. Benjamin grew up in Mt. Prospect looking up to his older brothers. He attended Ridge Elementary School, Holmes Junior High and Rolling Meadows High School, graduating in 2023. He was a dedicated athlete and was in wrestling, track and cross county which earned him the “Golden Mustang” award. Ben was very dedicated, and during covid, he would go to wrestling practice in the morning and track in the afternoon, while holding a 3.6 GPA and being on the honor roll. He impressed his coaches with his leadership and ability to stand up to other athletes and call them out for their behavior plus motivate and push them to win. Anyone who really knew Ben would know he was an animal lover, but he had a special place in his heart for cats. When you would receive a message from Ben you could always count on a cute or funny meme that would include a cat. He loved all genres of music and would send his mom and dad songs that touched him at that moment. Ben was funny and could make people laugh. He loved his trips to Disney World and driving was his favorite part of the trip. Benjamin’s favorite movie was Hacksaw Ridge and if you knew Ben well, you knew why. He was also a BIG John Wick fan. Ben was dedicated to making the right life decisions. His life motto was “Do It Right The First Time.” He had a plan and would stick to it. Ben made good friends in the gaming world over the years and his gamer tag was ‘Nuc1earFrog’. His favorite games were Rainbow 6 Siege and Dying Light. Benjamin was a Petty Officer 3rd Class (E4) for the United States Navy. Before his senior year in high school, he took the ASVABs test and passed it! Within days of graduation, he was off for boot camp. While serving on the USS Harry S. Truman, Ben was recently chosen as Jr. Sailor of the 3rd Quarter, a huge honor. He had a big heart, a passion for helping people and was looking forward to finishing his service so he could earn a degree in Fire Science and become a paramedic. Being a part of a good team of people was very important to Ben. All his comrades loved and respected him personally and professionally. Benjamin is survived by his parents Jason and Christine of Mt. Prospect, brothers Austin (Haley) of Schaumburg, Ethan of Romney, West Virginia, and Zachary (Katelyn) of San Diego; maternal grandparents Bruce (Dee Dee) Terpstra and Lynn (Mark) Lewandowski; paternal grandfather Melvin (Diane) Olberg and grandmother Linda (Arn) Goehringer; special memories growing up with his aunt Kristy, as well as many Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, many dear relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandmother Bonnie Olberg, maternal great grandfather Robert S. Dodge, and paternal great grandparents Henry and Marie Terpstra. A funeral service for Benjamin will be held on Friday, August 1, 2025, at 10:30 am at Malone Funeral Home, 324 E. State Street (Route 38), Geneva. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNUU64BgWpA Burial will follow at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood.  Visitation will be held Thursday, July 31, 2025, from 3:00 to 7:00 pm at Malone Funeral Home. For the visitation, we would like to celebrate Ben's life and love for cats by asking people to wear something that has a cat (or cats) on them. In lieu of flowers, donations made to Barb’s Precious Rescue, barbsrescue.org would be greatly appreciated. Please make sure to mention Benjamin Olberg as the Honoree.  To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Benjamin Cole Olberg, please visit our floral store. Read More