Proffer Wholesale Produce owner Benjy Proffer is being remembered as a business leader and for his generosity to others.
Proffer, who died Aug. 2, started contributing at a young age to Park Hills, Mo.-based Proffer Wholesale Produce, which his family established in 1964, according to an obituary. He started hand-bagging potatoes at 11 and later delivered produce in a truck directly to stores and institutions when he was a teenager.
After his father’s death, Proffer and his wife, Wonia, took over the family produce company in 1991.
In the 60 years since its founding, Proffer’s once-small, local family operation has grown into a nationwide enterprise. He operated 900 acres of farmland and had a full commodity repack automated facility, with food distribution to over 20 states and a fleet of more than 60 trucks.
Proffer also dabbled in other ventures, including a cattle and bison farm in the 1990s, a garden center in the 2000s and the start of the vegetable farm in 2010s. He enjoyed starting companies with his wife at this side, providing not only jobs but a sense of belonging for many in the community, the obituary said.
Outside of work, Proffer was known to invite others to his church, and he enjoyed being surrounded by his own family and his church family. He also was a founder of LifeSavers Ministry, a faith-based women’s program in the community that seeks to provide a place for spiritual growth and healing.
“Benjy had a huge, caring heart and sought to help others above himself. He, on many occasions, helped people in need of a second or third chance,” his family said in the obituary. “He chose to see the good in everyone he knew or encountered. Benjy never ceased to extend a helping hand in many different ways to people that reached out to him. He found his greatest joy in helping and serving others.”
Visitation is scheduled for 12-8 p.m. Aug. 9 at Christian Life Church, 4905 Flat River Road in Farmington, Mo. A celebration of life service is planned for noon on Aug. 10, with a private service to follow.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Proffer’s memory can be made to LifeSavers Ministry. Arrangements are with Horton-Wampler Funeral Home of Park Hills, Mo.
Related link: Full obituary for Benjy Proffer
