Ben Shute, a former president of the Carroll County School Board and an advocate for veterans, was remembered Tuesday as a patriotic man who believed in serving his community and country.
Mr. Shute, 69, of Black Hawk, died Monday at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Graveside services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the North Mississippi Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Kilmichael.
Mr. Shute, a graduate of Greenwood High School whose father and brother had served in the military, joined the U.S. Army in 1971. After his active duty ended, he entered basic training in the Army Reserves at Fort Polk, Louisiana. He later became a sergeant and went to Officer Candidate School, where he graduated in 1973 and was promoted to second lieutenant.
He and his wife moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and after five months there, they moved to Mississippi. He served in the First 114th Field Artillery in Greenwood and then transferred to the Mississippi National Guard, where he would remain until he retired in 1994 as a major from the 631st Brigade in Grenada.
Mr. Shute graduated from Mississippi State University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1976 and joined the Greenwood firm of Taylor, Powell, Wilson and Hartford soon after. In 1981, he began working for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as a bank examiner. He remained with the FDIC until his retirement in 2002, when he was a field office supervisor in Jackson.
In 2002, he began serving as a part-time consultant for BancSolutions LLC, doing work that was similar to what he had done for the government, and he continued there until 2017.
Benjamin Shute II said the banking industry in Mississippi is a lot like a family, and his father developed friendships with bankers across the state over his career. He said his father was an excellent leader who knew how to direct others down the right path and help make them better people.
Ben Shute ran successfully for a seat on the school board in 2007 and served for five years, including two as president. His son said the decision to run showed his father’s commitment to public service.
Mr. Shute was very active in the Republican Party at the county and state levels. In that role, his son said, he excelled at bringing people together — including those who might not have been politically active — and he always urged them to vote, regardless of their party affiliation.
He also helped organize Veterans Helping Veterans, a Carroll County-based nonprofit that focuses on health care assistance for those who have served in the military. Through that work, he was able to meet with President Donald Trump at a 2019 rally in Tupelo.
Benjamin Shute II said his father always stressed patriotism, including respect for the American flag and for veterans.
Ben Shute, an active member of Black Hawk United Methodist Church, was diagnosed with cancer in 2017. His son said he “always had a very positive attitude and always said the good Lord was going to guide him through this” — and that God would call him home when he had fulfilled his purpose.
