John Benjamin Duggan

John Benjamin (Ben) Duggan, 86 years of age, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, passed away surrounded by family and loved ones on June 24, 2026. Ben was born in Macon, Georgia on April 6, 1940, to Robert Stone Duggan, Sr. and Bertha Theodora Legters. 

He graduated from Lanier High School. Ben earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech in fall of 1962 and completed his MSE in Fluid and Thermal Engineering in 1970. He was a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. Pat was one of the fraternity’s sweethearts, which is how they met.

Ben and Pat married on December 15,1962. Having graduated from the U.S. Army ROTC program as a Second Lieutenant, Ben initially served in Aberdeen, Maryland as a First Lieutenant at the Aberdeen Proving Ground. After his service in the U.S. Army, Ben joined DuPont as an engineer in Beaumont, Texas.

Continuing with DuPont for many years, Ben’s family eventually moved to Hendersonville where they settled in their new home on Old Hickory Lake where he enjoyed his lifelong love of fishing, hunting and wood working. 

Ben is survived by the love of his life, Patricia (Pat) Dempsey, originally of Atlanta, and two daughters, Cindy Duggan Peterson and her husband, Lee, and Amy Duggan DiStefano and her husband Jason. He is also survived by Kyle and Wesley Peterson, Joey DiStefano, Ashley DiStefano Reditt and Hayden Reditt (son-in-law). His son, John (Johnny) Benjamin Duggan, Jr., passed away in February 1989. 

A memorial service will be held at Hendersonville Memorial Gardens on Thursday, July 2, 2026, where family and friends will gather to celebrate his life. Visitation is between 12 and 2 PM, followed by the Funeral Service at 2 PM.