He was born June 17, 1955 in Springfield to the late William "Bill" and Donna (Wilgus) Polk, Jr. Denny was preceded in death by his grandparents, Loren and Gladys Wilgus, William and Elizabeth Polk, and Emma Polk; his niece Gina; and his 4-legged "kids" Zeus and Chief.
He will be greatly missed by his wife, Monique; children: Christine Marie (Brian) Mohr of Denver, CO, Mark Vincent (Melissa) Polk of Denver, CO, Karla Denise (Arthur) St. Germain, of Burbank, CA and Megan Nicole Polk of Los Angeles, CA, Chloe Michael Young of Springfield; former wife, Paula J. Staab Polk of Chatham; grandchildren: William "Will" Connor, Ainslie Madeline, Rose Marie, Zelda Anne, Katherine "Katie" Ruth, Magnolia "Maggie" Gail and Gertrude "Gigi" Lee; sisters: Karen (Larry) Fagg of Sherman and Sharon (Carl) Rudin of Springfield; nieces and nephews: Kari (John) Neathammer, Larry Fagg (Stephanie Berry), Sara (Sean) Carroll, Denise (Kevin) Klemm; great-niece, Emma; his 4-legged "kids": Cricket, Honey and Duke; and many friends.
It was often said "after Denny was born, they broke the mold!" Denny was bigger than life and never met a stranger. Denny worked in real estate for three decades. He had a passion for real estate, historic preservation, and was an avid entrepreneur. He most recently was the broker/owner of The Real Estate Firm. Denny received the Historic Preservation Award in 1994 for his work in downtown Springfield, including the Booth-Grunendike Mansion and the former Grand Hotel. Downtown Springfield would have many more parking lots had it not been for his adaptive reuse of buildings. Denny received the Small Businessman of the Year Award in 1989 through the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce. Denny owned several well-known bars throughout the years including Biggie's and Bubba's, Miss Kitty's, Brewhaus and Floyd's. Also since 1989, Denny was a partner in the Hilton (now Wyndham) Hotel. Denny began his career as a funeral director and embalmer. In 1999, Denny and his former wife Paula opened Staab Polk Memorial Home in Chatham.
Visitation will be held from 10am until the time of funeral services at 2pm, Saturday, June 4, at Staab Polk Memorial Home, 8855 State Route 4, Chatham, IL, 62629. Cremation rites will be accorded by Cremation Services of Central Illinois. Memorial contributions may be made to: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 954 West Washington Boulevard, Suite 305, Chicago, IL, 60607; www.LLS.org/Illinois or Animal Protective League, 1001 Taintor Road, Springfield, Illinois, 62702.
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