Benson (Ben) Leonard Eisenberg of Peterborough, New Hampshire, passed away May 19, 2026, after a bout of pneumonia. He was 93.

Ben was born in New York City on January 18, 1933 to Louis and Anna (Polstein) Eisenberg. He grew up in the Bronx, and, as a typical city kid, enjoyed a good game of stick-ball with “the boys.” He graduated from high school at age 16 and entered college with no idea what he wanted to be when he grew up. He briefly contemplated becoming a truck driver so he could see the country but went on to excel in the sciences and ultimately chose medicine.

He worked a summer as a camp counselor, where he met Arlene Leon. Romance developed, and he realized he’d need to win over her family for the relationship to move forward. He quickly discovered that bringing coffee and cherry vanilla ice cream was the way to the family’s hearts, and he and Arlene married in August of 1954. It was just the beginning of a lifelong partnership that flourished for 73 years during which they were rarely apart.

Ben and Arlene moved to Buffalo so he could attend medical school at the University of Buffalo. Children came soon after, and they managed to juggle the demands of medical school while navigating parenthood. After medical school, they moved back to New York City for Ben’s residency in Radiology at Montefiore Hospital. The family continued to grow, and after residency, Ben joined a Radiology practice in Suffern, NY. He and Arlene raised their family of four children in the Rockland County suburbs of New York City.

In 1967, during the height of the war in Vietnam, Ben had the misfortune of being drafted as a 34-year-old physician into the Army. The family moved to Killeen, Texas, where Ben served at Fort Hood for a year of what was supposed to be a two-year tour. The culture in Texas was complicated at that time, and it was common for teachers to promote prayer in public schools (despite the 1962 Supreme Court decision banning prayer). When Ben protested on behalf of his 12-year-old son who was threatened with corporal punishment when he refused to bow his head and pray, life in Killeen became difficult for the family. In the end, Ben was deemed a troublemaker and shipped off to Vietnam to serve in an Army evacuation hospital in Vung Tau for the remainder of his tour while the family returned to New York.

After his service, Ben returned to Rockland County to continue his career in Suffern. But the outdoors kept calling. Ben and Arlene always enjoyed the mountains and took every opportunity to pack up the VW Bus and, later, the station wagon to haul the family up to Vermont for skiing and hiking vacations. They also spent time exploring the Hudson River and, later, the East Coast from New York to Down East Maine on a sailboat.

In 1975, Ben and Arlene opted to leave the fast-paced city and suburban life and moved their home base to White Mountains of northern New Hampshire. There they enjoyed skiing and hiking out their back door and canoeing the lakes and rivers of the North Country. In his later years, Ben rediscovered cycling, which he had enjoyed in his youth. He peddled many miles on the backroads of northern New Hampshire. Always up for company, it was a real treat for him to ride with his children and extended family, especially if it involved stopping for pie. He was able to keep up with the youngsters well into his ‘80s.

When Ben joined the Radiology Department at Androscoggin Valley Hospital in Berlin, NH, he participated in planning and designing the Radiology Department for a new hospital. Ben promoted and introduced new modalities for the department, including CT Scanning, Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging to improve diagnostics and help bring the small, rural hospital up to modern standards. Typically a humble guy, he would smile and remark that he was the “best Radiologist north of the notches,” knowing full well he was the ONLY radiologist up north.

Over the years, Ben and Arlene enjoyed many adventures around the world, including backpacking in the Brooks Range in Alaska, hiking to an elevation of 18,000 feet in Nepal, summiting Mt. Kenya and going on safari in Africa, visiting friends in Sweden, walking along the Great Wall of China, and exploring Bhutan. He documented many of these trips in slides and photos and loved to hold court to share stories of his travels.

In 2019, Ben and Arlene decided it was time to downsize and moved to RiverMead, a continuing care community in Peterborough, NH. Though he missed his view of the mountains, Ben enjoyed making new friends and getting to know his new neighbors. He spent his last two years in Assisted Living at RiverMead, where he received excellent care and always felt respected and safe.

Ben was a lifelong learner and instilled those values in his children. When he took on a new hobby or professional pursuit, he didn’t just learn the basics. He always went above and beyond to master whatever challenge he took on.

Ben’s brother-in-law, Albert Leon, recalls visiting Ben and Arlene at their apartment in Riverdale, NY, and how much they liked to listen to music. “Most people would buy a stereo system from a store. Not Benson. He had to build his system from scratch. I marveled at how he cut each wire and delicately soldered it in place. With a lot of patience, skill and perseverance, he eventually finished the system which lasted many years.”

When Ben developed an interest in photography, he took his darkroom skills he learned as a Radiologist developing x-rays to another level. He assembled his own darkroom in the basement of the family home and started developing his own black and white photographs. He enjoyed photographing his children at play, landscapes, and everyday scenes.

Albert introduced Ben to sailing, which became a regular family activity. But Ben didn’t just learn to sail. He went a step further and signed up for a celestial navigation course at the Hayden Planetarium. He learned to use a sextant and mastered the art of using the sun and stars to navigate on the ocean.

When it came to skiing, Ben didn’t stop at just downhill skiing, he also learned cross-country and then telemark skiing, which was beginning to experience a renaissance. (He even got his daughters hooked on telemarking.)

After many years of paddling canoes with Arlene, Ben developed a curiosity about kayaking. But it wasn’t enough to learn to paddle a kayak; he had to build his own. So he took a class in kayak building, and built a gorgeous wooden kayak that his children still paddle today!

Randolph was truly Ben’s happy place. He was committed to his community and fully embraced the local outdoor recreation culture. He gave back by serving on the inaugural Town Forest Commission whose mandate was to create the Randolph Community Forest. The commission worked tirelessly to secure and preserve the land that would become the town forest, which now consists of 12,100 acres managed by the town of Randolph.

Ben is survived by his wife of 73 years, Arlene; a son, Alfred Eisenberg; daughter-in-law, Martha Coutts-Eisenberg; two daughters, Karen Eisenberg and Amy Eisenberg; son-in-law, Tom Van Dreser; one grandson, Sam Van Dreser; two granddaughters, Anna Van Dreser and Zoe Garfield, and their spouses, Hank Kuhsel and Dodge Garfield; and several nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law, and sisters-in-law. He was preceded in death by his sister (Rita) and a son (Corey).

A true family man, Ben was a loving and devoted life-partner to Arlene, the BEST Dad to his children and their spouses, a doting grandpa, and friend to many. We will miss his warm smile and hugs; his unconditional love, support and encouragement; his passion for doing the right thing; and his love of learning. No services are planned. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Randolph Mountain Club or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Assisting the family with arrangements is the Cremation Society of NH. To view Ben's Online Tribute, send condolences to the family, or for more information, visit www.csnh.com.