Monday, October 6, 2025

 Jill's Dad passed away last night and my heart has felt heavy all day, even before I knew.  He was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma back in December of 2021 and has tried all of the treatment options that were offered to him but this last one was just too much.  I feel so bad for their family but am glad that he is no longer suffering and I know that he will be missed by so many. He was a good guy!

Dennis Keith Quinn

( October 17, 1946 - October 5, 2025 )

Dennis Quinn, age 78, of Chaska, Minnesota, formally of North Mankato, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on October 5, 2025, surrounded by the love of his family.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2025 starting at 1pm with a prayer service at 2:30pm at Bertas Funeral Home, 200 W. 3rd St. in Chaska, Minnesota. A private burial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Minneapolis or Multiple Myeloma Research Fund. https://themmrf.org/

https://www.cancer.org/support-programs-and-services/patient-lodging/hope-lodge/minneapolis.html

Born in Carroll, Iowa, on October 17, 1946, Dennis was the son of John and Estelle Quinn. He was raised in Defiance, Iowa and graduated from St. Paul’s High School with the Class of 1965.

From 1966 to 1971, he proudly served in the Iowa National Guard and later received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army Reserves. Dennis dedicated more than 40 years to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, retiring on July 3, 2009.

Dennis was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. He was blessed with  a loving marriage of 53 years to his wife Lois with whom he had 2 children, Jill and Casey.  He is survived by his beloved wife, Lois; daughter, Jill Quinn (Ben Bridge); and his treasured grandchildren, Charlotte, Camille, and Norah Bridge. He is also survived by his siblings, Mary (Chet) Plisiewicz and Don (Barb) Quinn; and sister-in-law, Linda Quinn. He was preceded in death by his son, Casey Quinn; his parents; his brother, Dan Quinn.

Whether you knew him as Denny, Eskimo, Mo, Esk or Papa, Dennis was someone who brought warmth, humor, and generosity to every interaction. A man of many talents and passions, he loved the outdoors—especially fishing, golfing and traveling. A self-taught handyman, Dennis was proud to have built his own log home and was always ready to lend a hand to anyone in need.

Dennis took his responsibilities seriously but never missed a chance to enjoy life’s simple pleasures—whether casting a line, golfing, reading, or sharing stories around the dinner table. Above all, Dennis cherished time spent with family. He was immensely proud of his children and grandchildren and was their greatest supporter—rarely missing an opportunity to cheer them on in every milestone and activity.

Dennis will be remembered for his warmth, quick wit, and the love he so freely shared with those around him. His legacy lives on in the hearts of his family, friends, and all who had the privilege to know him.

I have been just dragging butt the last two days, sleeping at least 8 to 9 hours at night and getting at least one nap in each day.  I guess I'm still recovering from my road trip. 

Happy, Happy 12th Birthday to my twin granddaughters, Camille and Norah!  It's hard to believe this much time has passed - they are beautiful girls in so many ways. Will probably celebrate this weekend due to Dennis' passing. 

I heard from my PCP this morning after an inquiry on whether or not I needed the pneumonia vaccine. She said yes, and there were openings today, so I got it. Check that one off the list - I believe I am fully vaccinated now.

I took Joey to to dog park for a while this afternoon and he is out on the couch after romping around for a bit. 

Thursday,October 2, 2025

On Monday morning, Dawn and I walked over to Sunrise Cafe for breakfast with cousins, Jonnie, Mary, Sue, Lori, and Erin. I had an embarrassing memory blunder with Lori when I asked her how her husband Jim was doing and she reminded me that he had passed away last November.  I guess this is just the way it's going to be and I hope that I don't offend anyone.

I drove to Sun Prairie to meet Leslie for lunch at Buck N Honey's - she came in from West Allis.  We had a really nice visit, keep in touch on a regular basis, but it's always nice to meet in person. I thought that some of the other Milwaukee and 'the land' friends would us join but I learned that Jane has knee problems, Nancy is living up north, and Linda is apparently not in very good health either.

Back to Pat & Tracey's but it was an early night as he had to work the next day and I was heading to Pat and Roger's.  

I was off to Pat & Roger's on Tuesday morning after taking my time having coffee and doing laundry so I could remake the bed that I slept in all week.  Dawn is so good about making me feel welcome and letting me stay when I come to Stoughton and we always have a good time together.

I got to the Hoovey's house and Pat and I took Chloe for a walk and later in the afternoon we headed for Cimaroli's for some delicious crab dip and crispy bread and an Old Fashioned - my first cocktail since mid-June - I watered it down a lot but still felt the buzz.  

We all went for an early walk on Wednesday morning and then I packed up, said goodbye to my good friends, and headed home. It was a 5 hour drive with a few stretch, snack, gas, and potty stops along the way.  

I got to Ben's around 1:45 and as we were catching up, he got a call from Jill for him to pick up the girls at school and go to hospital to say goodby to papa. His major organs are starting to shut down and he said 'no more'.  He has fought it for a long time and tried everything possible to lengthen his life, to no avail.  My heart goes out to their family. 

After my walk on Friday morning, I made a pot of potato and ham soup to take to Ben's in the afternoon as they are still spending quite a bit of time at the hospital. Dennis is in mostly a medicated sleep state right now, his family has all been here and they are just keeping him comfortable.  Ben called to say he was heading to the hospital so TyI offered to meet the girls at the bus stop and get them to swim practice.  That was perfect since and I hadn't seen them in a while. Charlotte had a party to go to, so Ben took her while I was at swim practice. The girls asked what kind of soup I brought and I got an 'I love that kind' response, so that made me feel good. Just as I was leaving, Jill pulled in, so I got to talk with her for a bit.  I feel so bad for what they are going through, I know it well although Dennis has suffered for such a long time with various chemo treatments and this last stay in the hospital has been over six weeks.

 

September 25, 2025

On Thursday morning, Deb picked up Joey as she will be watching him for the next two days as I am off to Wisconsin and Ben will be picking him up from her on Saturday when he returns from his work trip to Las Vegas. I was packed and had the car loaded and was on the road by 8:00.  This is my first road trip since last October, so it's going to feel good to connect with family and friends again.

I was just cruising along I-94 and I noticed the tire pressure warning light come on, so I made a stop in Baldwin to have the air pressure checked. I had just had that done a few weeks ago when I had tires rotated, so I wasn't too worried unless there was a puncture or something. They topped them off and I headed down the road again. I think it is my spare that has a slow leak.

Back on the road with a stop for a stretch break near Eau Claire and then again in Portage where I met my sister-in-law Sharon for lunch at the Hitching Post.  It's always good to see family and I got an update on what's been going on with everyone.

I arrived at Dawn's, got settled, and we were walking around her yard, checking out her gardens when Pat came around the corner and we chatted for a bit before I walked over to his house for dinner and hugs with him and Tracey.  I brought his birthday lasagna for dinner, so he didn't have to cook anything.

Since Tracey's stroke two years  ago, he has become quite the caretaker as she has many limitations.  She has now lost about 50 pounds and will be able to do more in the line of physical therapy and will be starting more therapy to improve the use of her left arm and hand.  I sure noticed a positive difference since the last time I saw her about a year ago.

Pat had the day off on Friday, so after coffee and breakfast, he and I went to see Tom and Karen. Tom's health is not very good and he is very crippled up - I started to cry when I saw him - damned emotions that come out my eyes.  Most of our conversation was about health issues and their rescue dog issues.  After an hour or so visit, we left and then stopped at Fraboni's Italian grocery for pizza dough, sauce, cheese, and salami for Pat's yummy homemade pizza for dinner.

I drove around Stoughton looking at apartment options and I'm sticking to my plan to stay on the list for Greenspire. The grounds are very nice and the apartments have been remodeled, including solar and covered parking. 

I went back to Dawn's for a nap, and got a text from Doug to see if our 3:00 time was still going to work out.  I had forgotten and he said he was available any time, so I headed to Deak's Bar and Grill for a beer and a chat with him. It was good to see him and learn that no news was good news from our classmates.

I went back to Pat's but begged off and didn't hang out for long and left early as I was exhausted.

I walked over and had coffee and breakfast with Pat and Tracey and then Pat and I got her outside for a two block walk.  She did just fine - her balance is good and her steps are steady.  She just needs to do it more often.

I needed to move, so I did some garden cleanup and trimmed the rose bushes back a bit, then headed back to Dawn's to rest a bit, take a shower and get ready for Roger's 80th birthday party.  What a screwup that was! I messed up on the time - the party started at 1:00 and I had it in my mind that it started at 4:00.  When Patty texted at 2:00 to see if I was ok, I headed there but a lot of people that I wanted to see had already left.  Dang it!

It was an early night - I felt just beat.

Tracey had a party to go to on Sunday, so I got to hang out with Pat one on one, but we ended up having visits from Bill (Tracey's Dad), Diane (her Aunt), and Pat helped his neighbor Rose with a repair project. 

I had dinner that night with Dawn and she made zucchini stuffed with chicken, cheese, and orzo - boy was that good.  Jonnie came over and we sat on the porch and talked but called it a night early as we were meeting up with more cousins the next morning at 8:00.