Benjamin Nyce

Ben Nyce, longtime resident, died on December 31, 2025, in his home viewing the Torrey Pines Reserve Extension cliffs that he loved. A loving father and husband, Ben’s life joy was teaching literature and film at the University of San Diego where he taught for 37 years until his retirement in 2003.

Born on April 25, 1932, in Buffalo, New York, Ben moved to Pasadena, attended Polytechnic School in Pasadena and went to boarding school at Midland School in the Santa Ynez Valley, where he cut wood to heat the shower water and studied by kerosene lamp. This rough self-help environment instilled a closeness to nature and an appreciation for simple living.

Ben attended Princeton University where he studied literature. After graduating in 1954, he attended the Claremont Graduate School earning his master’s degree and PhD in literature, with excerpts of his dissertation on Joyce Cary published in Modern Language Quarterly in 1971. He met his first wife, Jill Benton, while teaching at the Claremont Colleges. Though based in San Diego, world travel was a constant. They lived in Rabat, Morocco (1969-1970) and Nairobi, Kenya (1972-1973) where Ben taught American literature under two Fulbright awards. He thrived in the open collaboration with his students in the classroom everywhere he taught but particularly in his small USD classes. During his professional life, he published two books on film analysis– Satyajit Ray: A Study of His Films (1988) and Scorsese Up Close: A Study of the Films (2004).

In 1984 Ben met the love of his life, Ann Gardner. They married in 1990. While they both continued to work for many years, they found time to travel extensively, spending a good deal of time in Provence, France. Ben stayed active on the tennis court for more than 85 years, playing his last matches right up into his 93rd year. He loved his friends, made on and off the court, and tried to never miss a Friday coffee with his Del Mar coffee group buddies.

Ben is lovingly remembered by his wife Ann, daughter Kate Nyce and son Chris Nyce. He is also survived by his sister Amanda McIntyre, step-children Doan and Michael Hohmeyer, and Sara Parra. Ben took great joy in his grandchildren–Griffin, Rasa, Sienna, Priya, and Jaya as well as Ann’s grandchildren, Inigo, Lauren, Rachel, Cassandra, Dane, Adrian, and Linus.