Dennis Lee Atenhan went to be with Jesus on January 8, 2021, as he passed away peacefully at his home in Loveland, Colorado. Dennis, a native of Deshler, Nebraska, was born on September 3, 1938. As a young man, Dennis attended Peace Lutheran School for 8 years before attending Deshler Public School, where he graduated in 1957. After graduation, Dennis attended airline school in Kansas City, and continued to work on his family farm until 1960, when he moved to Denver, Colorado. It was in Denver that Dennis met and married the love of his life, Rozella Shelden, of Byers Colorado, in 1961. This was also the year Dennis was inducted into the United States Army, serving in Alaska, with his new bride. After the army, Dennis worked for Frontier Airlines, followed by United Airlines until his retirement in 2000.
Dennis is survived by his sister; Sandi Anderson; his wife, Rozella Atenhan; his daughter and son-in-law, Chanda and Max Monroe; his son and daughter-in-law, Todd and Sonja Atenhan; his grandchildren, Brant Monroe and his wife Liz Monroe, Taylor Monroe, Nicholas Atenhan, Blake Atenhan, Haley Atenhan, and Olivia Atenhan; and his great-grandchildren, Avery Monroe and Emerson Monroe. He was preceded in death by his parents Orville and Florence Atenhan, as well as his sister, Connie Seaton.
These are the facts of Dennis’ life, but there remains so much more that needs to be said about this wonderful man with the mischievous smile and twinkling blue eyes. This is because all the dates and facts of his life will not provide a proper legacy of the love that Dennis leaves behind. In the words of his adoring daughter, “he was a social butterfly who never met a stranger.” And remembering the names of new friends would never pose a problem for this social butterfly, because one of his favorite things to do was assign nicknames to everyone. He had friends wherever he went, and loved to start his days by hanging out with his buddies at the coffee shop. Reflecting on his mission to make friends, it becomes easy to understand how pleasing this characteristic of Dennis’ life must have been to Jesus, since Romans 15:7 tells us that “we are to welcome one another as Christ has welcomed [us], for the glory of God.”
As Jesus welcomes Dennis into heaven, please join our family in memorializing him with stories, anecdotes, and memories of how he touched your life. This is an opportunity to honor a man who will be greatly missed by anyone who had the honor to know him. Just click on the Add a Memory button at the bottom of this page and share your thoughts.
Partager l'avis de décès
v.1.8.18