ASHEVILLE - Ben Mixson was a fiery redhead. He was stubborn.

But he had a big heart that could barely contain his love for his friends, family, employees and two beloved Bouvier des Flandres dogs, Frick and Frack.

"He had the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met," said Laura Reuss, Mixson's business partner and ex-wife.

Reuss and Mixson remained close even after their marriage dissolved in 2014. That underscores the way Mixson, who died Feb. 17 while on vacation in Florida, lived his life: with a generous spirit and stubborn commitment to succeed.

The cause of his death is still under investigation, according to the Wildwood Police Department, which is handling his case. There were no signs of trauma, authorities said. Mixson was 42.

Together, Mixson and Reuss owned nine White Duck Taco Shops and were partners in Broth Lab, helmed by Camp Boswell. Four additional White Ducks are in buildout, Reuss said.

There should be no noticeable changes to the restaurants, which Reuss will continue to run.

"Our earth cracked in half, but we're going to try to continue," she said.

Hiring a team to help replace Mixson

Reuss is hiring additional staff, including a human resources officer and a controller. She's enlisting attorneys and accountants to help continue Mixson's work.

Because, while Mixson can't be replaced, it takes an entire team of people to try.

"I am going to continue his legacy," Reuss said. "There's no way in the world I'll let him down."

If the situation were reversed, Reuss said, Mixson would do the same.

"If anything happened to me, he'd say 'All right, let's pick up our boots and get to work,'" she said.

"This was our dream," Reuss added. "Fairy tales come true, but they can have bad sides too."

Mixson helped staff, bought people cars

"We're hurting, but we all know he would want us to keep moving," said White Duck Taco Shop general manager Steven Cox, a longtime employee.

Cox said Mixson was "fantastic to work for," and said Mixson had even purchased cars for several employees. He would loan money with no expectation of repayment. He provided Thanksgiving dinners, tickets to games and Christmas bonuses to everyone on staff, no matter their length of employment.

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But Mixson often carried a gruffness that belied his generosity and sensitivity.

"He just kept everything close to the vest and never told anyone what he was doing," Cox said. "I've been his right-hand man for for years, so he did everything through me. He just didn't put that stuff in the open for people to see."

Cox, who said Mixson understood "real people," also revealed that when someone broke into and robbed a White Duck location, Mixson didn't want to press charges, surprising authorities and attorneys alike.

'"He wanted the guy to be forgiven and didn't want him to spend time in jail," Cox said. "He said people make mistakes in life, (and) to have someone give you a second chance instead of wanting the worst for you was an amazing thing to see."

"He was a wonderful person," Cox continued. "He didn't wear it on his sleeve, but he truly cared for everyone."

Forging ahead with a mission

Reuss said she plans to run her restaurants with a similar focus on improving employees' lives.

"Ben used to tell me all the time, 'As soon as you make it to where you can help someone out, our job is to reach behind and help the next guy up,'" she said.

Reuss, who said Mixson's sensitivity could be both his best and worst attribute, said running a restaurant took a toll on her and Mixson's marriage.

"But it didn't take a toll on the love we had for each other," she said. "When you're working 80-90 hours a week together, you have no escape. But once we lived separately, we found the platonic love and friendship that we always had together."

Music lover, football fan

Mixson earned his undergraduate degree from the College of Charleston and his master’s degree from Queens University of Charlotte.

He later became a certified Sommelier, or wine expert and steward. Reuss and Mixson united over their love of wine and food, with their first official romantic date the Sommelier exam, according to Reuss.

An avid music lover, Mixson also was a huge fan of Widespread Panic and Phish, well-known jam bands.

By the end of 2019, Mixson said he'd seen 64 Widespread Panic shows and 100 Phish shows. His final Phish show was Dec. 9 in Charleston.

He also loved football, particularly the New England Patriots, despite the ribbing he sometimes endured for it.

While Mixson was often self-deprecating about what he called the "shortcomings" of his personality, friends and family will remember him as a generous and thoughtful man who lived and breathed business.

"I'd find him calling me from my front yard with coffees and breakfast, grinning from ear to ear because he's been up since 5 a.m. thinking about business," Reuss said.

Half the time she wanted to kill him, and the other half she wanted to hug him, she said.

"I lost my shining light."

Where to donate

According to Mixson's obituary, he is survived by his mother, Mary Willson Mixson of Asheville; and family members, Shane Mixson and Julie Dossey of Greensboro, Chris and Jen Burton of Reno. He was preceded in death by his father, Columbus Leo Mixson Jr.

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the WaterWheel Foundation.

Mixson was a generous supporter of the foundation, created by Phish in 1997 to oversee the band’s various charitable activities, raising funds for selected nonprofits in each community Phish visits while on tour.

WaterWheel’s Touring Division has donated more than $1 million to more than 425 groups.

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Mackensy Lunsford is an award-winning staff writer for the Asheville Citizen Times, former professional line cook and one-time restaurant owner.

Reach me:mlunsford@citizentimes.com.

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