Lake Forest Obituary: Charles "Ben" Stephens Jr.

Charles Bennett “Ben” Stephens Jr., 81, passed away on February 25, 2019.

He was born on April 10, 1937 in Springfield, Illinois, the first child of Cordelia Jane Crout Stephens and Charles B. Stephens, a Springfield attorney. He attended Butler Grade School (‘51) and Springfield High School (‘55), where he was a member of the rifle team and the marching band. As a member of Troop 14, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout and was elected to the Order of the Arrow. In high school, he worked summers as a member of the waterfront staff at Boy Scout Camp Illinek and at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Ben graduated from Northwestern University in 1960 where he majored in atomic physics. During summer vacations, he served as a Merchant Marine Radio Officer on Great Lakes steamers, and held every FCC radio license, commercial and amateur. His amateur radio call was K9KOM, licensed in the Extra Class. He was a member of Psi Upsilon Fraternity and the N.U. Marching Band. He remained active in the N.U. Alumni Band throughout his life.

Upon graduation, he began work as a sales engineer with Teletype Corporation, a unit of the Bell System. After the breakup of the Bell System, he worked for a number of telecommunications firms, the last being Interline Telecom Service Corp., which he founded and owned. He was licensed as a registered electrical contractor in Chicago.

He moved to Lake Forest in 1966, and was an elder of the First Presbyterian Church, where he also served as an adult leader of Boy Scout Troop 46. He enjoyed playing the piano, both popular and classical, as well as the pipe organ. Ben played what he called “pretty music” on the piano at nursing homes regularly.

Ben is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, Barbara (nee Bergquist); loving father to Christine (Todd) Puch of Lake Forest and Charles (Kate) B. Stephens III of Chicago; loving grandfather to Alexander Puch, Robert Puch, Mary Stephens and Charles Stephens IV; and loving brother to Cordelia “Dee Dee” Stephens Gain of Springfield, Illinois. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Rev. Stuart P. Stephens of Sandusky, Ohio and Maj. Allan D. Stephens of Richmond, Kentucky.

A visitation will be held from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. on Friday, March 1, 2019 at Wenban Funeral Home, 320 Vine Avenue, Lake Forest, IL. A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 2, 2019 at First Presbyterian Church of Lake Forest, 700 N Sheridan Road, Lake Forest, IL.

Memorial contributions may be expressed to Boy Scout Troop 46, 700 N Sheridan Road, Lake Forest, IL 60045 or American Heart Association, 300 S. Riverside Plaza, Ste. 1200, Chicago, IL 60606. Info: Wenban Funeral Home (847) 234-0022 or www.wenbanfh.com.