August 31, 1935 ~ May 10, 2022

Dennis Duebner, loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, died May 10, 2022 in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. He was 86 years old.

Denny was born August 31, 1935 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin to Delilah and Harold Duebner. In elementary school, he enjoyed playing softball and basketball with his friends, even in the snow and cold. He attended Lincoln High School where he excelled at tennis on three Fox River Valley championship teams and served as senior class president. He earned a degree in marketing from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1957.

After serving active duty in the military for six months, he was hired by the Kohler Company in the spring of 1958. He married his high school sweetheart, Janet Nelesen, on January 31, 1959, shortly after graduating from the University of Wisconsin. Denny was a sales trainee in Kohler, Wisconsin until September 1960 when he moved to Long Island, New York to manage his new sales territory which included the Borough of Queens and Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Sales was a natural fit for Denny and he was promoted to assistant manager of the New York branch in 1967. Three years later he was transferred to Minneapolis and promoted to manager of the Minneapolis branch which included five states. Denny loved his job. He loved to travel to different cities to visit customers, while touring our beautiful country. He always told his children: “nothing happens until the sale is concluded”. His entire career of almost forty years was spent within the Kohler company.

Denny was an engaging speaker and he credits Toastmasters with helping him develop these skills. Additionally, while living in the Twin Cities, he was a member of the Minneapolis Downtown Kiwanis Club and later the Southwest Kiwanis Club.

In early 1998, after Denny’s retirement, he and Janet left Minnesota to spend the winters and began spending half the year in Naples, Florida, and the other half in Sturgeon Bay, Florida. Wisconsin. They made many beloved new friends in retirement and enjoyed frequent visits from family and friends to their new homes. Janet and Denny enjoyed traveling to Europe, Denny particularly loved Germany and Austria, or visiting friends, children and grandchildren, especially if they could attend a baptism, confirmation, graduation or a sporting event.

Surprisingly enough, Denny enjoyed riding motorcycles until he was 79 years old. He shared this interest with his son David and at least one grandson. He loved working in his garden and could be seen almost every day walking around the Sturgeon Bay property and eventually ending up at the beach. The Sturgeon Bay cabin was a very special place for him. He had been visiting Door County since the 1950s. Growing up in Wisconsin, Denny was a huge fan of the Green Bay Packers and University of Wisconsin Badgers.

Over the years, he has focused his volunteer activities on the church – doing the work of the Lord. At the Golden Valley Lutheran in Minnesota, he served as president, elder, reader, usher, and committee member. He felt that we were here on Earth to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. He was also active at the Faith Lutheran Church in Naples, where he served on the Stewardship and Endowment Committees. Denny joined the Gideons in the early 70’s and felt blessed to serve this great Christian ministry.

Denny is survived by his children, Laura Wareham and her husband, Jamie, David Duebner and his wife, Sara, and Clare Shumaker and her husband, Greg; nine grandchildren, Sean and Collin Wareham, Rachel (Duebner) Orlando and her husband, Jim, Carl and Aaron Duebner, and Cara, Sloane, Elizabeth and Matthew Shumaker.

A funeral service celebrating Denny’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, May 16, 2022 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 1756 Michigan Street, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The family will receive friends at the church from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

A family funeral service will be held Monday, May 16, 2022 at 3:30 p.m. at Evergreen Cemetery, 2221 Michigan Avenue, Manitowoc, WI.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to Gideons International – Faith Fund, PO Box 140800, Nashville, TN 37214 or https://gideons.org/donate. All donations will be used to purchase Bibles for distribution.

Huehns Funeral Home of Sturgeon Bay is assisting the Duebner family. Expressions of sympathy, memories and photos of Denny may be shared with his family through his tribute page at www.huehnsfuneralhome.com.