Dennis Brown

February 18, 1959 – February 28, 2019 Dennis was still young when he found his first love. As a kid from Detroit, one of his favorite things to do was to listen to the Tigers games on the radio – until the day they let go of his favorite player. In a rebellious show of loyalty to this player, he eighty-sixed the Tigers and went in search for another baseball team to root for. He had heard that the Pittsburgh Pirates had a player that shared the same last name as the ex-Tiger. Naturally, in his 10-year-old mind, that meant the two were brothers, even though later on he found out they weren’t related in any way whatsoever. But that didn’t matter – by then, Dennis had claimed the Pirates as his team for life. Anyone who followed baseball in the 70s knows that was an almost magical time for the Pirates. Powerhouses like Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell led the team to World Series wins in ’72 and ’79. They played hard and they made the game fun. Sister Sledge’s “We are Family” was the rally cry for the Pirates during that era, and Dennis loved being a part of the family. For Dennis, watching the Pirates was a way for him to share something meaningful to him with the people he cared about most. In ’78, he took a trip to Pittsburgh with the woman who would become the love of his life. It was Dennis and Cindy’s first trip together, the one that kicked off nearly 40 years of adventures to Three Rivers Stadium, and later, PNC Park. That was their place to be carefree and young again. In 2013, their daughter Jennifer was watching the Pirates game on TV when the cameraman zoomed in on a couple in the crowd. It was Dennis and Cindy. He had a huge smile on his face and was whispering something in her ear. Cindy tossed her head back, laughing hard. That’s just the way they were together – even after 38 years of marriage, they could always count on each other to get through both the good times and the bad with a hearty laugh. Dennis also made sure to instill his love of the Pirates in their three kids. In ’84, he drove from Florida to Chicago with his 10-month-old daughter Jennifer to give her her first taste of the Pirates as they took on the Cubs at Wriggly. In ’87, he named his oldest son Tony – not Anthony, but Tony – after the Pirates’ catcher Tony Peña. In 2011, he helped his youngest Chuckie celebrate his 21st birthday in style in Pittsburgh with family and several of Chuckie’s friends. Between all the beer, the casino, and of course, the Pirates, it was a party that everyone, somewhat miraculously, will never forget. As much as Dennis loved the Pirates, that was far from what defined him. When he was a kid, he spent wild summers with his parents, Bud and Celine, and his six siblings raising dogs in Canada. He loved playing sports and getting into mischief with his two brothers, Mark and Kevin. He had a talent for annoying his four little sisters – Jan, Fran, Maureen and Karen – and looking out for them the way only older brothers can do. He also had a way of keeping his parents on their toes, and appreciated all they did for him through the years despite his penchant for being a little rebel. As an adult, Dennis let his wandering spirit loose. When a place didn’t feel like home, when it was no longer right for his family, they simply packed it all up and moved on in search of somewhere that did. After living in 11 different states and after dozens of moves, Dennis and Cindy fell in love with Wisconsin and set roots down there – hundreds of miles and thousands of memories from where their journey first began. Dennis was a teacher by nature, even if it took a few years for his patience to catch up to that calling. Whether it was teaching his children the fundamentals of sports and other valuable life lessons, or mentoring the people he worked with, he always enjoyed helping others look critically and creatively at things so that they could get a better understanding of its truth. He wanted people to grow to their full potential and shine, and he had a gift of knowing how to give them the space and support to do just that. In his younger days (and occasionally as he got older), Dennis could raise hell with the best of them. But as he matured, he learned to find peace in the quiet. He would read the I Ching to his young children and take the family on long sunrise walks along the Massachusetts shoreline to find balance. He would recharge in the country side of their Kentucky and Wisconsin farm houses, feeling most at home when he was surrounded by nature. In the summers, he and Cindy would plant enormous vegetable gardens – each one growing larger and more elaborate with every passing year. Helping a seed sprout into something beautiful and valuable gave Dennis a lot of satisfaction. As the years went by, he still held a special place for the Pirates in his heart. The fact that they were in a 20-year slump didn’t dissuade him at all – he’d always say that next year they were going all the way. In 2013 and ‘14, even though they were living in Kentucky, he and Cindy bought season tickets and watched the Pirates in person make it to the post season for the first time since ’94. It was one of the best summers of their lives. A month or so before Dennis died, as he battled an insatiable cancer, he asked Cindy, “Can we go to Pittsburgh?” She smiled and said, “Of course.” On February 28th, Dennis passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his loved ones. Cindy, their daughter Jennifer, son Tony and his partner Savannah, and son Chuckie and his partner Jamie, wish him lots of love and adventures as he travels to his next destination. Dennis also gives a wink and a “love you guys” to his parents Bud and Celine, his siblings Mark, Kevin, Jan, Fran, Maureen and Karen, and to all of his in-laws and friends. Every one of you added color to his world. For those of you who would like to raise a glass to Dennis, please join the family for a celebration of life on Saturday, March 9th from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. at THE BRINK LOUNGE, 701 E. Washington Ave, Madison, WI. Come as you are, and help us joyfully send Dennis off to Pittsburgh in the way he would have wanted. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson East Funeral & Cremation Care 5203 Monona Drive 608-221-5420