Benjamin H Zwein

Benjamin (Ben) Zwein passed away on July 3, 2023 at the age of 91 while suffering from congestive heart failure, kidney failure, dementia, and recovering from hip surgery. He passed in his sleep in his Calabasas, California home. Born in Los Angeles, California in 1932 to Joseph and Gertrude (Gerti) Zwein, Ben lost his father at the age of 12 to leukemia; he grew up in the City Terrace area of Los Angeles with his mother Gertrude and his older sister Sylvia. During the Korean War, Ben volunteered for the draft and served in the US Army, stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. He served two years and was honorably discharged. Then, in 1958, he married the girl next store, Joan Goldstein, with whom he started a family. They lived in areas including North Hollywood, Redlands, Van Nuys, and finally Calabasas. Professionally, Ben began working for State Compensation Insurance Fund (State Fund) as an insurance adjuster soon after leaving the Army. He later created a workers’ compensation investigation firm, which operated for approximately four decades. Ben employed numerous investigators and helped develop many careers. While he was a self-described workaholic, Ben did enjoy other aspects of life, including spending time with his children (especially when they were young) with activities including hiking Placerita Canyon, bowling, and flying kites at the local park. Ben loved history and his family, and combined the two with family vacations that included historical sites, such as a Hopi reservation, in order to expose his children to the culture. Ben was handy around the house and enjoyed weekend projects. He also loved reading Sunday comics, and discussing politics, which he did monthly along with wife Joan at their discussion group with other local couples. Ben and Joan loved the theater and held season tickets to the Music Center in Los Angeles for years. They introduced culture to their children and enjoyed attending local plays and symphony performances throughout their lives. Ben and Joan also loved to travel.  They were among the first Americans to visit China after the country opened its borders to tourists. The two also traveled to Russia, Australia, and New Zealand, among other countries; they had a particular fondness for Alaska, the Caribbean, and New Orleans. Ben loved reading spy and adventure novels, and taking care of his dogs (there were many over the years). He is survived by his daughters Lora and Diana, son Darren, son-in-law Michael, and grandson Jacob. Ben will be greatly missed.