Benjamin Lambert Liang, 36, of Salt Lake City, UT, beloved husband, son and brother, died unexpectedly on February 4th, 2023 due to complications from a skiing accident.
Benjamin, called Ben by everyone he ever met, was born at NYU Hospital in Manhattan to Paula and Jim Liang on May 23, 1986, and made his entire family laugh from that day until the day he died. Ben was an only child for three years until the birth of his younger sister Katherine (Kate), whom he strongly disapproved of at the time due to her lack of eyebrows, and Margaret (Maggie) two years later, whom he largely ignored at the time, since she was a baby and he was more into sharks and raccoons.
As a teenager, Ben developed an unquenchable love for the outdoors and adventure sports, which eventually brought him to Middlebury College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Mathematics in 2009. While at school, Ben met the woman of his dreams, Melina Ward, and, though there is some debate as to when they actually had their first date, the couple began dating in their sophomore year. Ben and Melina married in October 2015 at the groom’s family home in Londonderry, VT.
After college, Ben worked briefly in investment banking and then moved to advertising technology, for which he was featured on the cover of AdWeek magazine in 2013. He went on to found his own company, Cliques Ads, and served most recently as Group Product Manager at Klaviyo, a marketing automation platform based in Boston, where he and Melina lived from 2013 until relocating to Salt Lake City in April 2022.
Ben was intelligent, persistent and fearless, showing little self-doubt, even when perhaps he should have. Throughout his life these qualities would result in one broken femur, many apologies to then-Vice President Al Gore after slapping him (as a toddler), a grandmother with a broken arm, a flying squirrel thrown out his bedroom window, countless instances of road rash, an overflowing dishwasher full of dish soap, a misunderstanding at Chilean border control, and 15 tires acquired for one car. He was endlessly curious, had obsessive amounts of focus, and always gravitated towards any hobby or sport that would inevitably become quite expensive: fencing, skiing, cycling, fly fishing, etc. Ben had the biggest booming laugh you’ve ever heard, and we’ll miss hearing it dearly.
Ben is survived by his wife of seven years, Melina Ward, his parents Paula and Jim Liang (of Jacksonville, FL and Londonderry, VT), younger sisters Kate Liang and Maggie Liang Marbley, and brother-in-law Aaron Marbley (all of NYC), Finley, his very loyal mini Australian shepherd, and Charlie, a generally grumpy bird who really only loved Ben and blueberries.
A memorial service will be held on February 18th at 1:00 pm at First Church Cambridge, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02138. Interment will take place in the Spring in a family ceremony in Manchester, VT.
Those who would like to honor Ben with a memorial contribution are requested to do so through either Community Servings at 179 Amory Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 (617-522-7777) or the MSPCA-Angell, attn: Donations, 350 South Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02130 (617-541-5046).