Dennis ‘Denny’ Allen Breitner

Dennis “Denny” Allen Breitner, poet, pumpkin carver, morel mushroom connoisseur, and legendary back-rub giver, died Tuesday, March 22, 2016, at Toledo Hospital, from heart and renal failure. He was 66.

Denny’s personal motto could be summed up in Popeye’s famous phrase, “I am what I am.” He was born Oct. 6, 1949, to Donald and Genevieve Breitner. A lifelong resident of the Dundee-Petersburg area, he graduated from Summerfield High School, where his love for language found an outlet through the satirical stories and wry poems he wrote for the school newspaper.

Denny never knew a chore or repair project that didn’t deserve a good cussing out, especially if it involved his nemesis the Christmas tree, but he’d always rather be active than idle. He worked maintenance at Dundee Cement for nearly 30 years.

Capturing the essence of Denny means including his special vocabulary (Ooo-I!), LIBRA tattoo, drag racing youth, and close bond with his siblings. To understand him was to see him with his grandkids, hollering as they crashed the lawnmower, bribing them with his secret snack stash to walk on his back, mortifying their parents with his dubious life lessons, and snuggling on the couch.

He loved long drives, visiting friends, gardening, going to the races, watching The Waltons reruns, eating Grandma Pluszczynski’s homemade pierogis, and being up north. But more than anything, he loved his family.

Denny’s parents, Donald and Genevieve, preceded him in death much too soon. Left behind to remember this special soul are his daughters Christie (John) Bacon and Carly Breitner; stepchildren, Jennifer (Joe) Russell and Brian (Michelle) Kesler; sisters, Sandy Breitner and Charlotte (Dave) Nagy; brothers Kenny (Sandy) Breitner and Sonny (Kim) Breitner; grandchildren, Kortney, Kamron, Judah, Penny, Kait, Jamie, Kaysen, and Teddy; stepparents Willie and Jinny Berger; and former wife, longtime companion and best friend, Karen Breitner; not to mention the countless other family and friends who will miss his generous spirit, big laugh, blue eyes, and warm smile.

Never one to spend money on himself, he wouldn’t hesitate to give his last dime to help someone else. In that spirit, donations can be made in his honor to God Works! Family Soup Kitchen, P.O. Box 962, Monroe, MI 48161.

A celebration of his life is planned for Saturday, May 21, 2016, at Jerry’s Pub on Wamplers Lake, 650 Egan Hwy. Brooklyn, from 1 to 4 p.m. Visit his online memorial at www.Never-Gone.com/Memorials/dennybreitner.

Services provided by Cover Funeral Home, Dundee.

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