Ben Marler: From Destin's only boy born in 1938 to a captain with a servant's heart (PHOTOS)

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first of a three part series. The other two parts will run on the faith page on Sept. 5 and Sept. 12

Out of nine children born in Destin in 1938, only one was a boy.

And that child filled a tall order that Benjamin F. Marler. Sr. placed with the Lord.

“It was very simple; he only wanted a son six feet tall,” Capt. Ben Marler Jr. told The Log. “That was it! He was about 5 foot 10 and was ‘a near perfect specimen’, according to my mom. I can remember his build and it was something else. It had to be from all the hard work and good food.”

When Capt. Ben was born on July 5, his father led the celebration.

“According to my mom, he wanted to show off  ‘his boy’ to anyone who came near,” said Capt. Ben. “One captain was heard to say, ‘Ben always gets what he wants.’ ”

But the captain wasn’t so sure.

“My dad loved boxing,” he said. “He wanted a son who could go in the ring and fight hard. Well, I was a little guy, under 100 pounds, when I entered Sewanee Military Academy in the ninth grade. After four years I was still under 160 pounds and certainly not a fighter. Thank God, for I would have probably been ‘punch drunk’ in no time.”

But while a career in professional boxing wasn’t in the cards, Marler would grow up to become one of Destin’s most well-known boat captains. And his life is a living monument to God and the World’s Luckiest Fishing Village.

Early life
After spending four years at Sewanee, Capt. Ben enrolled in Florida State University — and was by now filling his father’s tall order. He was, of course, 6 feet tall.

“Not long afterwards, I met Joan who became my wife after a six month engagement.”

By the end of that year, the young couple were given a pleasant surprise — their first daughter, Athena Faith.

“I used to call her ‘glue,’ for she was a real blessing in the hard times of gaining an education with little or no money,” Capt. Ben said.

Before graduation, the couple was blessed with their second child, Elizabeth Ann.

To earn money while in school, Capt. Ben threw the Jacksonville Times Union paper on a 52-mile route — until he realized it was costing him more than he was making.

He then worked at Walgreens and Sears, receiving less than $1.70 an hour. After graduation, Sears offered him a job, but Capt. Ben wanted to return to Destin and repay his parents for all the help they had given the young couple.

Family in a fishing village
Capt. Ben’s parents, Capt. Ben Marler Sr. and Cleopatra Maltezo Marler, and his grandparents, William and Camilla Brooks Marler, were devout Christians who depended on God to meet all their needs.

“I was very blessed to be born to Ben and Cleo Marler,” Capt. Ben said. “They never set a bad example for me and were sweethearts their whole marriage of 36 years. I know for a fact they sacrificed a lot to send me to schools which were costly.”

But as loving and giving as they were,  Capt. Ben’s father never let him get away with anything.

“He believed the Bible — especially the part about not sparing the rod, ouch! When I got one he would send me to my room and lay down next to me, weeping that he had let God down somehow. He said it hurt him as much as me, but I had a problem believing that. One thing for sure, I never doubted his love nor that of my mom.”

Capt. Ben’s parents were always active at their church — Cleo with the altar guild and Ben as senior warden.

Watching them gave Capt. Ben a reverence for God’s house and everything within it.

“When I was about six years old, I became an altar boy. This meant I had a nice vestment to wear during the service. There were normally two of us, one carried the cross in the procession and the other the American flag.

This was a high honor, and one we cherished.”

He also had his first experience as a lay reader at St. Andrews By-the-Sea Episcopal Church at the age of 16 when he volunteered to fill in for the licensed lay reader. To read more about Destin's old churches, click here

“Later, the Bishop sent me a wallet card testifying I was approved by him,” Capt. Ben said. “This drew me more to God, but I still wasn’t born again.”

Stay tuned Sept. 5 to learn about Capt. Ben’s walk with God.