On Saturday, July 6, 2019, Arthur Lezin, 90, died at his home in Bend, Oregon. Arthur was born on October 8, 1928 in Los Angeles, California and was educated at Reed College, earning a BA in Economics in 1950, and Harvard University, where he took a sabbatical from his work with the U.S. Agency for International Development to pursue a Masters in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government in 1982.
Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Arthur worked as a diamond salesman in Zurich, Switzerland, where he met his wife, Alice. They were married on May 4, 1962 and raised three children– Nicole, Katya and Ben– while living on five continents and over ten countries. Arthur and Alice retired to Bend, Oregon, where Arthur was able to pursue his passion for fly fishing, replaced in recent years with games of bridge and Boggle.
He was also an avid photographer and prolific writer, publishing multiple articles and two books: From Afghanistan to Zaire, a collection of essays and photographs from his travels and work overseas and A Case of Loyalty, a memoir about his father’s successful battle to clear his name following his discharge from the U.S. Navy in the height of McCarthyism. Arthur was known and beloved for his quick wit and unparalleled way of recounting stories and jokes.
He was a lifelong Democrat who did not suffer fools lightly, making for a few awkward dinners on cruises he and Alice enjoyed in their retirement. He derived great enjoyment from his weekly Thursday lunch group, his reading (with a special fondness for well-written memoirs and mysteries), his children and grandchildren, and most of all, his wife of fifty-seven years, whom he loved and admired beyond measure. He is survived by his wife, Alice, his children Nicole (Rusty), Katya (David), and Ben (Celine), and his grandchildren Noah, Hannah, Eliza and Theo.
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