Felix Bendann III ’64

Felix, known to friends as “Tuffy,” died Jan. 24, 2017, in Sparks Glencoe, Md.

He came to Princeton from Gilman School in Baltimore, where his family owned the Bendann Art Galleries. A member of Charter Club, he majored in religion — his senior thesis was titled “The Existential Framework: Berdjaev and Tillich” — and sang in the Chapel Choir.

He roomed for four years with John N. Lewis and Kent Mullikin. They were joined sophomore through senior year by Fred Welsh, Larry Nichols, and Mal Sterrett, and by Tom Vockrodt senior year. His roommates and friends valued Felix’s thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and intellectual exuberance.

After graduate work at Union Theological Seminary, he returned to Baltimore, where he enjoyed creating and teaching courses for Johns Hopkins University.

His lifelong passion for ideas found expression in a book on human creativity, written in the form of a dancelike philosophical dialogue.

An avid woodworker, he made fine furniture and decorative pieces.

He is survived by sister Lynn Scott Bendann; former spouses Janet M. Bendann and Barbara Long-O’Brien; stepsons George D. O’Brien Jr. and Patrick R. O’Brien; and step-grandchild Erin D. O’Brien. The Class of 1964 extends its sympathy to his relatives and friends.