Funeral Details

Bennett (Ben) Koffman was the beloved and supportive husband/best friend of Elaine (nee Cooper) for 52 years. He cherished and was very proud of his daughters, Pauline (Doug) Woodson, Vera Koffman, and Shira Koffman (Lisa Hale) and his granddaughter, Tewa Woodson. He was the devoted son of the late Dorothy and Louis Koffman and the loving brother of David (Ruth) and Jennie Koffman.
Ben earned a PhD in government from the University of Virginia and passed the CPA exam. His first accounting job was with Thomas W. Havey & Co; he retired in 2010 as manager of partnership accounting after 28 years of service at Mayer Brown LLP.
Ben gave of himself to help others, for example assisting people prepare their tax returns for free, both through the Center for Economic Progress and on his own. For many years, he has helped a young man from Mexico practice his English and they became good friends. He made it a priority to be useful to widows.
Ben liked to play chess. He also loved his dogs, the late Eskies, Diana and Charcoal, and the Cotons, Bluma and Mazel. Through his kindness and patience, which were abundant, he taught them many tricks. He was a handyman, a consumer of news, a technology fan, a nature lover, and an exercise enthusiast.
Ben was a mensch - a person of integrity. He will be missed.
Services Tuesday, 10 AM at Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Blvd. (at Niles Center Road), Skokie. Internment Memorial Park Cemetery, Skokie. For further details and to attend the funeral live stream, please visit our website, Chicago Jewish Funerals – Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Ben’s memory to Doctors Without Borders, donate.doctorswithoutborders.org, 40 Rector St. 16th Floor, New York, NY 10006 or the Ark, www.arkchicago.org, 6450 N. California Avenue, Chicago, IL 60045, or a charity of your choice would be appreciated.