Denny was someone to everyone he met. Whether you loved him, liked him or he just wasn’t for you, he treated you the same. Pretty solid guy. He had a great sense of humor, loved to tell a joke, and loved to make people laugh. For someone short for words, he sure had a way of talking. You could always trust he was telling you the truth about something because he was good at separating feelings from facts. If you asked his opinion, he told you. This also made him blunt without apology at times. If you’re like me, he made you a better person with his strong wit.
He was a humble man but very passionate about certain things in life. His music, especially the Blues, infiltrated his soul. For a man that learned to play the guitar by ear as a young boy, he sure could command a crowd. He played with many bands, for many years, at many local and regional events. He loved to tell the story of his band, FBI (Funky Blues Institution), opening for Michael Burks at Martha’s Midway Tavern in 2007. He said he was so nervous to play in front of Michael (dad was a big fan). After the set, Michael told him that he played pretty good for a white boy. The man couldn’t take a compliment to save his life, but that was the kind of compliment he got a kick out of.
He loved all his musician friends and family. You could always count on him for a little impromptu jam session. Over the years, he was a mentor for many guitarists. He lost his ability to play the way he wanted to play after a devastating injury to his fingers. He tried the slide. He hated it. So, he hung it up. If you were blessed with one of his Fenders, play him a song or two. He never quit loving the Blues. He reminisced about his music career with great love and great loss. Typical of the Blues.
Denny was an insanely good artist. If you can imagine a pin-striped out Bivouac van in its heyday, he likely customized it. He owned a couple of body and paint shops in his career which he was very proud of. He was a hard worker and his days often started at 3am with several cups of black coffee and ended after 8pm. We were raised in a paint thinner haze. It was great.
He loved restoring and modifying cars and motorcycles. His favorite projects were his Ford Mustangs and Harley Davidson’s. He said you just have to be smarter than what you’re working on. He was patient and methodical when he worked. Real car therapy.
He took the ride to Sturgis on his Harley a few times. He said it was some of the best times of his life. He said it was spiritual for him. He was a free spirit and often chased down demons he told no one of. He believed silence is sometimes better when you’re healing your soul. Please know his intentions were always pure.
He never turned down an opportunity to help a friend with working on a project. He took tremendous pride in his work…but would always find fault and a “I could’ve did it better “…making him a perfectionist. Seeing how happy he made his friends and family after he completed a project for them was all the gratitude he ever really needed. Shirt off the back kinda guy.
Air-brush art was a special talent of his and was commissioned by many local businesses to design signs. Someone out there has a Marvin the Martian sign that was his absolute favorite. He also dabbled in all other medias and if you’re lucky to have one of his pieces of art, you know just how good he was. He was his biggest critic but drawing and painting healed his soul during challenging times in his life and his work was credit worthy.
Animals and nature were special to him. He loved horses, exotic birds and dogs. He tolerated cats. He spent some years as a breeder of various dog breeds; Akitas were always his favorite. He said he admired their loyalty. I’m sure they admired his.
The last years of his life were spent playing chess on his computer and following politics. He was very concerned about the current state of our country and the upcoming election. As a proud Democrat, he made sure he was registered to vote “just straight Democrat” again this year. He believed in equality and inclusivity. Social justice or injustice was a deep concern for him.
He kept a pretty tight circle of close friends (you know who you are). Quality over quantity, he’d say. He loved all of you like brothers and sisters.
He weathered the storm of death and distance of family, as life evolved, but he never stopped loving his family. He kept every card, letter, or picture sent to him. Sometimes he would be a hard guy to track down. He wasn’t hiding. He was healing. We all loved him anyway.
DRW was a good man. He was a son, a brother, a father, a grandfather (GP), a great-grandfather, an uncle, a friend. He was a musician, a songwriter, an artist, a poet, a teacher, a mechanic, a vehicle body repair technician, a handyman. Pretty cool life and he welcomed death with dignity.
There will be no funeral services and he will be cremated per his final wishes.
A celebration of life will be held despite his resistance at a later date and yes…there will be Blues…take it home, Denny.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Brown Funeral Home.
Photos, condolences, and memories may be left for Dennis’ family at www.BrownFuneralHomeNiles.com