Lee Uhrig Bender

Lee Uhrig Bender died in his sleep on the morning of April 4, 2025. Lee was born in Syracuse, NY, on March 21, 1934, to William L. Bender and Emma M. Bender. Lee had a deep-seated appreciation for ideas. He often said he wanted to be a student for life. Throughout his life, Lee studied many different philosophies and enjoyed challenging conventional thinking. Wherever he was, he'd find time to visit the local bookstore. In that respect, he was a student of life.

Lee graduated from the Ranger School in Wanakena, NY in 1953. He enlisted in the Army, Airborne Division, in 1953 and left as a sergeant in 1955. He graduated from the SUNY College of Forestry in 1959. In 1961, he married Susan Mary Sloan from Cortland, NY. In 1963, the couple moved to Holland for a year on a Fulbright scholarship Lee was awarded. Lee obtained his PhD in Geodetic/Civil Engineering from Ohio State and taught at the SUNY forestry school in Syracuse until 1978. That year, the family moved to Reston, VA, where Lee worked in photogrammetry at the US Geological Survey and later in remote sensing at Autometric. Shortly after Lee's retirement in 1991, the couple moved to Smith Mountain Lake and built a home. Lee discovered the joys of personal computing and the internet. Lee created webpages for Susan as she developed her real estate business. During that time, Lee would give presentations on a wide range of topics to their local church group. He and Susan moved to Lynchburg in 2015.

Lee leaves behind his and Susan's two sons, Jonathan (Rebecca) and Dirk (Meg), four grandchildren, Lauren (Behrens), Jarrett, Clara, and Emma, his niece Kathy Butts Lent; and grandnieces Amanda (Swartwout) and Alisha (Clark).

A service will be held at Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making donations to the American Cancer Society.

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory in Lynchburg is assisting the family.