Explore the family tree of NFL Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, from his Roethlisberger roots in Switzerland to his deep roots in Ohio, including the Foust, Heslop, Shoemaker, Decker, Foster, Zimmerly, Saunders, and Amstutz families, among others.

01 of 04 Generations 1 and 2, Parents George Gojkovich/Getty Images Sport 1. Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger was born March 2, 1982, in Lima, Allen, Ohio to Kenneth T. Roethlisberger and Ida Jane Foust. Ben's parents divorced in 1984 when Ben was 2 years old. Ida later remarried to Daniel N. Protsman. Ben was raised by his father and his step-mother, Brenda. Father 2. Kenneth Todd Roethlisberger, a former pitcher and quarterback at Georgia Tech, was born in 1956 to Kenneth Carl Roethlisberger and Audrey Louise Heslop. Mother 3. Ida Jane Foust was born on September 12, 1956, in Ohio to Franklin "Frank" Foust and Frances Arlene "Fran" Shoemaker. She died as the result of injuries sustained in a car accident on 24 September 1990 while on the way to pick up Ben at his Dad's for a weekend together when Ben was just 8 years old. When Ben points up to heaven after each Steelers touchdown, it is for both God and his mother, Ida. Ken Roethlisberger and Ida Jane Foust were married on September 1, 1979, in Allen County, Ohio, and divorced on July 26, 1984, in Allen County, Ohio. They had two children: +1. i. Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger

ii. Carlee Roethlisberger

02 of 04 Generation 3, Grandparents These are the parents of Ben Roethlisberger's parents. Paternal Grandfather 4. Kenneth Carl Roethlisberger was born August 16, 1922, in Allen County, Ohio, to Aldine Roethlisberger and Clara Estella Zimmerly. He served with the reserves as a lieutenant in the Naval Air Corps during WWII, including 18 months in the South Pacific. Kenneth C. Roethlisberger married Audrey Louise Heslop on September 4, 1945, in Martins Ferry, Belmont, Ohio, and the couple had three sons. He died June 25, 2005, in Lima, Allen, Ohio. Paternal Grandmother 5. Audrey Louise Heslop was born about 1924 in Martins Ferry, Belmont, Ohio, to Wilbur Beemer Heslop and Louise Saunders. She is still living. Maternal Grandfather 6. Franklin E. Foust was born in 1936 in Allen County, Ohio, the son of Lowell E. Foust and Ida M. Foster. He married Frances Arlene Shoemaker on August 14, 1955, at the Pleasant View Church of the Brethren in Lima, Allen Ohio. He is still living. Maternal Grandmother 7. Frances Arlene Shoemaker was born January 30, 1937, in Allen County, Ohio, to Lloyd H. Shoemaker and Frances Virginia Decker. She died on January 9, 2018.

03 of 04 Generation 4, Paternal Great-Grandparents These are the parents of Ben Roethlisberger's grandparents on his dad's side. Paternal Grandfather's Father 8. Aldine Roethlisberger was born October 30, 1893, in Bluffton, Allen, Ohio, to Carl W. Roethlisberger and Mariann Amstutz. Aldine married Clara Estella Zimmerly about 1921, with whom he raised two boys, and worked as a mail carrier in Lima for 33 years. He died February 13, 1953, in Lima, and is buried in Ebenezer Cemetery in Bluffton, Allen, Ohio. Paternal Grandfather's Mother 9. Clara Estella Zimmerly was born about January 10, 1892, in Allen County, Ohio, to Peter Zimmerly and Mariana Keiner. She died February 7, 1981, in Lima and is buried in Ebenezer Cemetery in Bluffton, Allen, Ohio. Paternal Grandmother's Father 10. Wilbur Beemer Heslop was born November 14, 1889, in Martins Ferry, Belmont, Ohio, the son of Robert Greenwood Heslop and Eleanor K. Beymor. He married Louise Saunders about 1915 and the couple raised four children. Wilbur worked as an undertaker and merchant in his father's business, R. G. Heslop Furniture and Undertaking. He died 11 Nov 1986 in Martins Ferry. Paternal Grandmother's Mother 11. Louise Saunders was born November 7, 1893, in Ohio to William Saunders and Mary P. Ellis. She died August 3, 1983, in Martins Ferry, Belmont, Ohio.