Curtis 'Curt' Lee Denny, 90

This obituary is being written by Curt prior to his passing; therefore I’m not sure if this is an obituary, eulogy or an autobiographical sketch, or maybe all three. Regardless, I have a date to meet Margie at the Rainbow Bridge.

Curt was born June 4, 1933, in Minneapolis, Minn. My parents were William and Pearl (Kinney) Denny. I hope that they were excited by my arrival. Curt was joining his older brother, Bill. Obviously, his younger brother, Mark, was to make his presence known at a later date.

The first 10 years of Curt’s life were spent in south Minneapolis near Lake Nokomis and its surrounding parks. When I was 8 years old, I remember how terrified I was by the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This feeling was amplified with the arrival of a Western Union man delivering a telegram that my Uncle Fred was missing. He was the bandmaster on the USS Arizona and is still entombed on the ship.

During World War II, the family moved to the rural area of Lake Minnetonka. Our new home was very primitive. No running water, no plumbing, no central heat, etc. Fortunately, there was electricity, even though the wiring was quite primitive. The house was located on 15 acres, half was heavily wooded with maple trees. These same maple trees were tapped for sap during the spring for the purpose of making maple syrup, I hated collecting the sap.

In this rural setting, I attended a one-room schoolhouse with grades 1-8. The social atmosphere within the school was outstanding, where the saying “each one teach one” existed. This little school was the social focal point for the entire community. I knew most of the people, either personally or by name, within a half-mile radius. In the winter going to school, a half mile away, I would strap on the skis and ski through the woods and wind-swept fields until I reached the school. I graduated from Wayzata, Minn., High School in 1951. This school was 5 miles from our house.

After high school, I received appointments to the Naval Academy, Coast Guard Academy and Merchant Marine Academy. I went to the Coast Guard Academy. After a short period of attendance, my attitude was “What in the world am I doing here?” I resigned and raced back to the University of Minnesota, where I enrolled and joined the NROTC. After graduating as a naval officer for the next three years aboard a ship supplying provisions to the Far East for the first part of my duty. Then, I was ordered to the admiral’s staff at NAS Alameda for aeronautical logistics. This staff had operational control for the carrier fleet homeported in the Bay Area. Which, at the time, included four aircraft carriers and four carrier air groups. After being released to inactive duty, I entered government service via the federal service entrance exam. After four years of training, I became a contracting officer in what now is called Silicon Valley of California. During this time, I was recruited by the space systems division of the Air Force and an agency in Washington, D.C. These recruitments were rejected because I had decided to pursue a different path in my life.

This new path in life involved education — becoming a teacher at the elementary level, which required returning to school and, in this case, to Eastern Washington University for two years in order to qualify as a teacher. This entire experience was exhilarating, including becoming a lab assistant for a geology professor who worked on the moon rocks that were returned on Apollo II.

Upon completion of my educational training, I set my sights on Coeur d’Alene. Although I was advancing in years, I was fortunate enough to be offered a job as a sixth grade teacher, which I eagerly accepted. Over the years, the kids were exceptional, they by far exceeded my preconceived notions of what they could do. Some deserve special recognition, such as Steve Widmyer and Bruce Reed. I had finally found my niche in life, with one exception, and retired after years of teaching.

The one exception was that I met and found the love of my life, Margie Dolan. We married and had 43 great years together until her passing. With our marriage, I inherited a built-in family of the Dolan Clan, Linda (Jim), Mike, Lee, Scott (Heidi), Ray (Candy), Terry (Shirley) and Mary Roisin (Clifford).

A special acknowledgment also goes to the Denny Clan, sister-in-law Mona Denny, Mike, Sheila (Jim), Dave (Jae) and Bob (Misty).

I’m done!

Now, I have to say so long as I race to the station to catch the train to meet Margie at the Rainbow Bridge.

There will be a graveside service held Friday, Aug. 18 at 11 a.m. at Riverview Cemetery, 1065 Lincoln Way, in Coeur d'Alene.

To see Curt's online memorial and to leave a message for the family please visit www.englishfuneralchapel.com.