<div>Dear community,
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<div>It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking passing of Ben Villano, a warm, compassionate soul committed to building a just world rooted in love, deep care, and liberation for all people.
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<div>The hearts of Ben’s beloved wife, Atim, and the Villano family are completely shattered after sweet Ben’s life was taken in a <a href="https://www.startribune.com/one-dead-after-high-speed-collision-at-top-of-i-94-exit-ramp-in-st-paul/601523761" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">senseless ,tragic car accident</a> at only 31. He was on his way to work at Rose Street Patisserie’s Bread Lab.
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<div>We ask you, our community members, to wrap your arms around Atim and the Villano family as they grieve by offering your financial support. As Atim and the Villano family navigate this unfathomable, deeply painful loss, your donations will give them space and time to honor Ben, seek justice for his memory, and grieve by lifting the heaviness and stress of significant financial burden.
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<div>Everyday, Ben devoted his heart and hands to lovingly crafting and baking artisan bread, nourishing the bodies, hearts, and souls of thousands of locals. While Ben thoroughly enjoyed baking and bringing joy to his community through food, he cherished the love and light of his life, Atim, more than anything in this world. Ben was funny, gentle, creative, and wholly adored by his life partner, mom and dad, sister and sibling, family, friends, and fellow bakers. Anyone who crossed paths with him felt how deeply he cared for people. He helped people learn and see things in new ways, loved to build things and experiment, adored music, food, &amp; dogs, brought silliness and groundedness to the people around him, and met others with understanding and thoughtfulness. His bellowing laugh reverberated through the space and time he shared with loved ones, filling them with unadulterated joy and hope for a better world.
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<div>Ben will be remembered as <em>a beautiful soul </em>who embodied what it means to remain kind and soft in a cruel, unjust world. Please join us in remembering Ben’s kindness &amp; tenderness by offering your financial support to his life partner and family.
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<div>By donating, you honor Ben’s legacy of devotion to a loving world rooted in deep care by minimizing financial strain for his dear Atim and family as they mourn and <a href="https://www.twincities.com/2025/11/13/man-charged-with-criminal-vehicular-homicide-st-paul-crash-killed-other-driver/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">seek justice</a> for his memory.
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<div><strong>Your loving donation, no matter the size, helps:</strong>
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<li>Atim and the Villano family honor Ben with the memorial he deserves
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<li>Atim to pay mental health and therapy cost
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<li>Atim to pay the full cost of rent and utilities for the home she and Ben shared
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<li>Meet additional or unforeseen financial needs Atim and the Villano family experience as they grieve
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<div><strong>Additional ways you may offer care to ease financial strain and stress for Atim and the Villano family:</strong>
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<li>Share financial resources directly with Atim via Cash App ($aopoka24) or Venmo (aopoka24)
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<li>Sign up to deliver a meal to their homes or donate a Doordash, UberEats, or GrubHub giftcard: <a href="https://mealtrain.com/w44lgq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Atim’s Meal Train</a>, <a href="https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/emmq2y" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Emily’s Meal Train</a> , <a href="https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/lgg1mw" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Josie and Sarah’s Meal Train</a>
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<div>We thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your kind donations. Your messages of condolence, thoughts &amp; prayers, and memories of Ben are deeply felt. May we all adoringly remember sweet Ben, his life, and his legacy forevermore. Details on Ben’s memorial will be communicated at a later date.
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Dan Van Dervoort

LAJ Selder

Lacey Jones

Anonymous

Signe Harriday

Acacia Bard

Patricia Schmidt

Kay Touchette

Eleanor Sylvan

Gigi Berry

Brent Littlejohn

Betsy Tarnowski

Kevin Springer

Adam Levonian

Ralph and Kathy Dvorsky

Isaiah Pearson

Blake Robinson

Deborah Scheriff

Jodi Lebewitz Davis

Support Ben's Memorial and Justice for his Memory

Support Ben's Memorial and Justice for his Memory

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