Benjamin J. Castro, 44 of Santa Maria, passed away on Oct 11, 2020. Ben was born in Santa Maria on March 15, 1976. He attended Fairlawn Elementary and El Camino Jr. High.

After graduating from Santa Maria High School, he moved to Hawaii to live with family for a while. After returning home to Santa Maria, Ben worked at Albertsons for 15 years, then moved on to work for Old Town Market.

Ben loved basketball. He coached basketball for more than 30 years, starting off as a coach at Boys & Girls Club of Santa Maria, then continuing to establish his own girls league called the Sparks. One of Ben’s quotes for his basketball family was, “Once a Spark, always a Spark.”

Ben is survived by his grandmother Helen Regalado; grandparents George and Joyce Rogers; sister Antoinette Porraz; brothers Joseph and Anthony Espinoza; nieces Jazmine, Marissa, Izabella and Zylla; and nephews Rudy, Isaiah, Jr, Diego, Joe, Matt and Kaleb.

Ben was preceded in death by his parents Mona Traverse and Anthony Espinoza Sr., and his stepfather Gary Traverse.

Visitation will be held 4-7 p.m. Monday, Oct 19 at Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary. A service will be held at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct 20 at Dudley-Hoffman Mortuary, followed by a graveside service at Santa Maria Cemetery.

To leave a condolence for the family, visit www.dudleyhoffmanmortuary.com.