Lewis (Lew) G. Benham

April 4, 1941 - October 19, 2019

Lewis (Lew) Benham was born in Detroit, Michigan on April 4, 1941. He would remain in Michigan until his graduation from Rochester High School. Lewis was accepted to the prestigious U.S. Air Force Academy as a cadet majoring in mathematics. He was honored and privileged to be one of the members representing the Academy at the funeral services for the late President John F. Kennedy. Upon graduation from the Academy in 1965, Lew served as navigator on the B52 bomber planes in the Vietnam War. After his service in the war, Lewis returned home to attend Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Mass., having graduated in 1976. Lew’s legal career included teaching law as well as practice. It was his teaching career that brought him to Louisville to teach at the University of Louisville. When he ended his teaching career he entered private practice where he remained a great advocate in bankruptcy law until his retirement in 2005. While after retirement he had been a snowbird spending a great deal of time in Florida he maintained his primary residence in the Louisville Metro area. Lewis departed this life on Saturday October 19, 2019. Funeral services are private and will be held at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Expressions of sympathy may be made in Lewis’ memory to the U.S. Air Force Academy Endowment Fund, 3116 Academy Dr. Ste. 200, USAF Academy, Co. 80840-0000. J.B. Ratterman & Sons Funerals and Family Cremation Care, 2114 W. Market St. is in charge of arrangements.