Alan Osur, a history professor and rugby coach at the US Air Force Academy and long-time member of Temple Shalom, passed away March 7, 2021, in Colorado Springs. Rabbis Jay Sherwood and Joel Schwartzman officiated at the March 10 service in Colorado Springs.
“Alan saw life as a series of adventures and challenges,” the family said.
“He served in Vietnam, took his family to Germany, was an expert on military race relations, volunteered on a dig in Israel in the war and climbed one or two fourteeners in a single day.”
Mr. Osur was born Jan. 21, 1941 in Paterson, NJ, and earned degrees from Rutgers, the University of Connecticut, DU and Regis.
An officer in the US Air Force and a software engineer, the years he spent as a history professor and rugby coach at the Air Force Academy were his dream jobs.
Mr. Osur loved rugby, a passion that began while he was stationed in England in the mid-1960s. He played his first game for Shelford, and continued playing well into his 60s.
He established the Air Force Academy’s rugby programs for men and women, influencing the lives of young cadets. As coach, he led the women’s team to two national championships.
Mr. Osur’s first wife, Madelyn, died in 2005.
He then married Lisa Benhammou-Osur.
Mr. Osur belonged to Temple Shalom, local historical societies and was an honorary member of the Tuskegee Airmen.
An tennis player, he also was a reader, writer, traveler, amateur archeologist and a collector of Civil War bullets.
Alan Osur is survived by his wife Lisa Benhammou-Osur; children and step children Ryan (Emily) Osur, Kirsten Osur (David) Enrich, Jeremy (Jamie) Benhammou, Daniel (Lindsay) Benhammou and David (Lisa) Benhammou; grandchildren Kaleb, Blair, Ripley, Henry, Jasper, Ethan, Clair, Emerson and Thea; and two brothers and a sister.
Donations may be made to Temple Shalom, 1523 E. Monument, Colorado Springs, CO 80909; or the Alan Osur Perpetual Fund for Women’s Rugby (719-338-3770).
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