Colonel Louis ""Lou"" Benjamin Stefan USMC (ret), 78, of Germantown, Tennessee died on August 15, 2021.

Lou was born in Detroit, MI on July 10, 1943, to Dr. Louis J. and Olga Stefan. He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Karen Stefan. He is also survived by his children, Jennifer (John) Lindsley of Roswell, GA; Michael (Lynn) Stefan of New York, NY; his granddaughters, Kate, Lauren, and Julia Lindsley. His siblings include Fred Stefan, Rick Stefan, Claudia Liwienski, Marianne Stefan-Wilson, Laura Marks, and Ralph Stefan. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Lou graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in Detroit, MI. He went on to attend the University of Michigan Dearborn where he received a degree in political science in 1966.
Lou was an aviator and earned his wings in the Marine Corps where he served for 37 years. Lou flew CH-34 helicopters in Vietnam between 1968 and 1969 and earned several commendations. After the war, he continued flying CH-46 and CH-53 helicopters in squadrons out of New River, NC, Mt. Clemens, MI, and Willow Grove, PA. In 1982, Lou was selected as one of the initial cadres of reserve pilots to fly the C-12 aircraft in support of Headquarters Marine Corps at Andrews AFB, where he eventually served as the Commanding Officer.
Following his active service, Lou had a long career in commercial aviation at Braniff International, People Express and FedEx where he spent his last 24 years. He would often say that he had ""the greatest job in the world.""

Lou volunteered his time extensively through church and other organizations. Causes important to him included youth mentorship, literacy, and mental health, and alcoholism for which he was a strong advocate for awareness and rehabilitation in the airline industry. Late in his life, Lou continued devoting his time as a tutor to young and old alike.
Lou possessed a strong curiosity for the world and had many passions which he shared with his family and friends. He traveled extensively. Among many adventures were backpacking Europe with his children, cross country motorcycle rides, and sailing with his father-in-law on Tradewind across the Atlantic and to many ports of call around the world. Lou enjoyed being in nature, visiting national parks (always with one of his many 35mm cameras in tow), and reading history. He passed to his children an appreciation for these things, the outdoors, skiing, hiking, and sport.
It is impossible to know how many lives he touched as he quietly and humbly helped so many. Lou had a deep care and love for his family, ""brothers"", friends, and strangers. He will be missed dearly.
Memorial service with military honors will be at 11:30 am on Thursday, August 19, 2021, at Germantown United Methodist Church, 2331 South Germantown Road, Germantown, TN 38138. Family will receive friends before the service from 10:00 am to 11:30 am at the church. Memphis Funeral Home is handling service arrangements.
Memorials in Lou's honor may be given to Literacy Mid-South or a charity of your choice.

Published by The Daily Memphian on Aug. 17, 2021.