To the editor:

I had the pleasure of knowing Dennis while serving on the Houghton County Board of Commissioners. Dennis served as my vice finance chair. Nothing gave Dennis more pleasure – with the exception of his wife, Sandy, children and grandchildren than giving back to the people of Houghton County.

Dennis was an amazing individual and helped so many in the community. He was tireless and a humble advocate for all he believed in and an ear for all he served. Dennis was a person who combined achievement with great personal grace.

Dennis volunteered his time to many organizations in Houghton County including The Rotary Club, School Board, United Way, coaching sports, and other community programs. Board service is one of the toughest volunteer rolls of all. But Dennis did them all with dedication and tenacity. He never backed down in the face of difficult decisions.

I learned a lot from Dennis while serving Houghton County together, I leaned on him, and he always proved to be wise and virtuous. As I look back, many of our accomplishments as a board and community, would not have been possible without Dennis at the plate. As a community, we improved on his watch.

Dennis is one individual where it can truly be said that he made the world a better place, both for those who were lucky enough to know him, and for many who never met him but benefited from his work and love for his community.

In the times that we face in this country today, we could all learn from Dennis and be a friend, a shoulder, be kind and give back to the community anyway you can.