(This picture is taken from his Facebook page...a picture is worth a thousand words and this one shows just how much humor this guy always had)
This past Saturday, the world lost a great man. Kevin Denny, a family friend, lost his battle with colon cancer after a brave fight. In mine and in so many others minds, he will always be remembered for his sense of humor, his love of his family and his incredible caring and generous personality.
I first met Kevin when my family moved to Dublin in 1987. Kevin, his wife Connie, and their 3 children lived across the street. I went to elementary school with his oldest son. Our families hung out all the time, because the Denny's were such a great family to be around. As Kevin might say, they were (and still are) as much fun as a barrel of monkeys. Throw in a lot of humor, a lot of love for the ordinary and simple things in life, and a little bit of disfunction...and that's why we loved being togther. As the years have gone on we've shared plenty; birthdays, job promotions, babies being born, graduations, even my wedding. Despite my family moving away for almost 5 years, we all still kept in touch. Through it all Kevin and Connie have been people we could always count on, whether it was to borrow a cup of sugar, to listen, or to just make us laugh. I remember when Kevin used to work at Wyandot Lake (a now defunct water park) and he'd beg us to come down and enjoy the rides. He loved seeing us all have a good time. The first time I saw the movie Beetlejuice I was floating in an intertube in the wave pool at Wyandot Lake.
When I was 15 years old I (like many my age) was looking for a part time job in the summer. Kevin, who had worked in the hospitality/entertainment industry for decades, took a chance on me and hired me to work in the concession stand at Sports Ohio. It's a decision I can never repay him for. Not only did I have a great boss, a fun job and a paycheck coming in...but I ended up meeting the man who would become my husband almost 10 years later. Those 3 summers I spent working there are some of the best highlights of my teenage years. No matter what kind of day you were having, seeing Kevin ALWAYS made it better. He was the kind of boss who everyone loved, the one who realized that you didn't have to be a tyrant to manage people...instead you had to just treat them how you wanted to be treated.
Some of my favorite memories of Kevin:
*listening to him singing along to the Spice Girls cd that he'd play ALL the time at Sports Ohio, many times with a broom in his hand as a microphone.
*he was the only manager at work who actually joined us when we used to race go-karts late at night after the park closed....and he often won.
*his impression of the cowardly lion from The Wizard of Oz was priceless....especially when he also used it to impersonate the "lounge singer" that used to sing at Christmas mass every year.
*Our families used to get together on Christmas Eve for dinner, and the year I turned 21 we went to TGI Friday's. My mom, Connie and myself ordered these HUGE margaritas...and Kevin spent the entire night making us laugh so hard we almost wet our pants. (didn't help that we were all toasted)
*Throughout all of these years I remember how much he cared about his wife. He and Connie had been married for more than 30 years, and I just remember how much you could tell that they loved each other. The amount of laughter in that marriage is something we should all strive for.
*My final memory of Kevin was earlier this year, when his youngest daughter graduated from high school. We went to her graduation party, and despite him being in pain from battling this evil cancer, he still had a smile on his face the entire time, and was so genuinly happy to see everyone.
To Kevin, I know you are in a better place, and that your suffering has finally come to an end. You are missed more than you know, and your presence will live on in so many people. Thank you for caring, thank you for sharing your humor and your laughter, and most of all, thank you for being such a great man to so many people.
