Ray S. Bender Jr. M.D.

Bender, Ray S., Jr. MD Ray S. Bender, Jr. MD died Monday, May 7, 2012, at Froedtert Memorial Hospital after a brief illness. He was born in Appleton, WI on May 30, 1948 and was the son of the late Ray S. Bender, Sr. and Florence Miller Bender. He was the beloved husband of Christina C. Keppel, MD. He is preceded in death by his sister Susan. Dr. Bender attended elementary and high school in Appleton. He was a faithful choir member as a boy at Appleton Congregational Church. He went on to achieve a BA in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He studied Bio-chemistry, published in the area of Gene Transcription and worked as an instructor at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado after which he received his MS in 1974. He then pursued his teaching certificate after which he began his career in Appleton Area School District as a Junior and Senior High School Science Teacher until 1981 when he moved to Kenosha and then West Allis/West Allis Schools to live in the big city. In 1998 he decided, again, to make a big change and applied and was accepted to the Medical College of Wisconsin. He continued to publish articles in local and national publications. His favorite and most personal essay was in 1996 for the Wisconsin Psychiatrist, "Becoming a Star Thrower". After a year as a Family Practice Resident he began his Psychiatric training and then joined, his then wife, Christina Keppel, in private practice. He was a Diplomate of the National Board of Medical Examiners since 1993, is an Attending Physician affiliated with Columbia St. Mary's Hospital, and is a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He was a valuable addition to the professional staff at East Town Professional Associates, not just as a capable physician but a constant source of conversation and optimistic outlook. He could solve many IT problems and remembered everyone's birthdays and important anniversaries, especially Administrative Professionals Day. It is so hard to capture all of Ray's talents, skills and attributes in any distilled form: psychiatrist, therapist, educator, Op-Ed writer, IT fix-it guy, birder, cat lover, foodie, world traveler, sailor, wit, sports fan, musician, car and motorcycle buff, book addict, angler, kayaker, golfer, student of politics, and I'm sure I'm missing a few more in there. He has been a lively attendee of monthly services at the Ecumenical Christ Pond Retreat Center in Random Lake. Visitation will be held Thursday, May 10, from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM at the Feerick Funeral Home. Services will be held Friday at 10:00 AM at the North Shore Congregation Church, 7330 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Fox Point. Memorials in Dr. Bender's name can be made to WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio, Box 88890, Milwaukee, WI 53288-0001, Christ Pond Foundation, 921 E. Calumet Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53217 or National Kidney Foundation, 30 East 33rd St., New York, NY 10016.