Benjamin Heath Schnitker, known as "Ben" to friends and family was born at Gulf Coast Hospital in Panama City on November 20, 1988 to two very proud parents Mark & Cil Schnitker. Weighing in at 9lbs 7ozs, the hospital staff affectionately dubbed him "Big Ben".

He loved growing up in Panama City Beach and was proud to call it home. He attended Beach Elementary, Surfside Middle School and graduated in 2007 from J.R. Arnold High School and completed his freshman year at Gulf Coast Community College.

Ben accomplished many accelades in his life including academic & athletic honors. He was wolrd finalist in the 2003 Odyssey of the Mind competition, a 4-year college Bright Futures Scholorship winner, and was most proud of being named the "Most Outstanding Player" on the 2004 Arnold H.S. Junior Varsity Golf Team. He loved and played many sports including baseball, soccer, and basketball, but all paled in comparison to his love for golf. Literraly from the day he began walking he had a gof club in his hand. His favorite golf games were those with his father Mark and his younger brother Matthew (a.k.a. Matty).

Matty and Ben were buds, despite the 5 year age difference. They were best of friends and shared the love of golf and that of the Florida Gators! They woudl play video games for hours on end, enjoyed card games and watching Japanese Anime. Ben had planned to pursue a career in digital media and gaming design at the University of Central Florida.

God had a different plan for Ben when on the evening of July 20th, 2008 he was tragically killed in an auto accident while on his way home from a gaming convention in Tampa, Florida. A loving memorial on his headstone reads "His Journey Has Just Begun. We know that he is living in the hearts of those he touched... for nothing loved is ever lost and Ben is loved so much".

In life, Ben was a very generous & giving son, brother and friend. He always thought of others ahead of himself. Even after his death he continued to give - as an organ donor his heart now beats in a 54 year old man in North Florida. A 64 year old man in North Carolina man now breaths easy with Ben's lung. Ben's pancreas saved the life of a 32 year old woman in Minnesota and his liver was the miracle a 62 year old man in North Florida needed to survive. One of Ben's kidneys was a perfect match for a 35 year old woman in Maine and the other kidney went to a 32 year old man in Louisiana. Two other grateful people in the world received the gift of sight from his corneas.

Ben would be touched by the idea of a golf classic bearing his name and would be grateful for your time and money helping such a worthy organization like that of the Bay County Humane Society.