Benjamin G. Lazo

Benjamin Gaerlan Lazo, a 40-year resident of Camarillo, passed away on June 11, 2018.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 15 at 10:00am at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Camarillo.  

Ben was born on August 16, 1938, the son of Espiridion, Sr. and Carmen Lazo, in the Canlubang, Laguna province of the Philippines, and was one of a family of eight children.

Because of his excellent performance in school, he was, in his own words, coerced to study medicine.  He attended Far Eastern University in Manila and trained as a physician in Passaic, New Jersey. There, he met his future wife Myrna and they had three children: Robert, David, and Jenny. They lived in New York, Ohio, and Illinois before settling in Camarillo in 1978.

For the next 27 years, Ben practiced medicine at Channel Islands Community Hospital in Oxnard, Point Mugu Naval Station, California State Prison in Lancaster, and the Metropolitan Detention Center in Downtown Los Angeles. 

Ben enjoyed eating, taking naps, listening to Pandora, watching Fox News, perfecting Dad jokes, and being Myrna’s shadow. He had a passion for travel, and explored the world with Myrna, visiting Europe, Israel, Egypt, India, China, South America, Alaska, and Antarctica. He began a personal memoir titled “I am a 19th Century Physician and am Proud to Be One”, which reflected his appreciation of the more personal relationships doctors had with their patients in the past.

He is survived by his wife Myrna and children: Robert; David, wife Bethany, and grandson Benson; Jenny; and his siblings: Carmencita, Espiridion, Jr., Sennen, Virginia, and their families.