Bernt Wolfgang Lewy

Bernt Wolfgang Lewy, CHAMPAIGN Bernt Lewy, 91, died at 8 am, on February 16 in the home he designed and built.

Bernt Lewy was born in 1932 in Berlin. It was not a good time to be Jewish in Berlin. At the age of 8 Bernt and his parents were smuggled out beneath a pile of coal on the back of a truck. In Belgium the family was hidden for a time in the attic of a pension where the custom was for guests to set their shoes out at night to be cleaned. Already a rascal, Bernt saw an opportunity for fun and snuck down from the attic and switched all the shoes of the sleeping guests and laughed and laughed at the chaos in the morning. Bernts grandmother, aunts and uncles were unable to get out and were killed in the holocaust. His lone surviving cousin was brought to America and adopted by his family.

For the rest of his life Bernt faced the world with defiance, irreverent humor, and a zest for life and adventure. In Chicago, he and his first wife the artist Diane Lewy (nee Levy) raised a son Mark and daughter Robin until Bernt quit his advertising job and moved the family to Aspen for an adventurous life of skiing. After Dianes early death from cancer Bernt married Jan Erkert, and enjoyed being the amazing man behind the woman, supporting her in every way as she led the Department of Dance at the University of Illinois.

Between the ages of 70 and 90, Bernt designed and built a glass and wood home in the dunes of Indiana and a modern home in a century old abandoned ice house and filled them with gorgeous hand-made furniture, teaching all of us that it is never too late! His creativity, intelligence and passion live on in his five beautiful grandchildren Nora, Eloi, Camillo, Kyle and Julienne - who make him beam with pride.

After witnessing the Holocaust Bernt turned away from the Judeo-Christian concept of God but found spiritual sustenance in the Native American nature-centered world view. If you would like to donate, he would love to see support go to the American Indian College Fund.

In his final days Bernt sang his beloved jazz songs in a whisper "When I Was 21," "What a Difference a Day Makes," "It Could Happen to You," and "Come on Home" and my favorite, I Did it My Way." He certainly did.

A memorial party will be planned in the coming months. Until then laugh a little or a lot!