Dennis Peter Csillag, 67, of Chula Vista, California, passed away on September 29, 2025, after complications from an aggressive cancer. He was not in any pain... was in good spirits... and greatly amused the staff at Scripps Mercy Hospital by continuing to work from his laptop while in the ICU.
Born in Elyria, Ohio, Dennis was known for his energy, determination and creativity. He graduated from Elyria Catholic High School. As a teen he worked in a movie theatre and later started his own movie rental business. He then attended the Cleveland Institute of Electronics, earning an SBE Certification and his FCC "first-phone".
From the age of 20, he worked in broadcast television, first in Kansas (KAKE-KUPK) and then in San Diego where he became actively involved with the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the local organized labor community, and president of NABET-CWA 54 at KGTV10. He remained President of Local 54 even after leaving KGTV10 to establish his own video production and web creative services company.
Among others, his clients included the MDA Jerry Lewis Telethon-Los Angeles, and United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego.
Dennis is survived by his sister Cheryl Van Wagnen, brother-in-law Ron Van Wagnen, his nephew Robert Van Wagnen, his nieces Kristina Van Wagnen and Denise Rawls (her husband Adam), sister-in-law Martha (David), a great niece Rylee Van Wagnen and a great nephew Mason Rawls, many other nieces, nephews, cousins, and great nieces and nephews, as well as his beloved Cocker Spaniel "Emmy".
He was preceded in death by his father, Peter A. Csillag, his mother Olga Csillag, his brother David Csillag and his niece Tammy Csillag.
Dennis did not want a formal funeral. Instead, there will be a "Remembering Dennis" Celebration of Life gathering of family, colleagues and friends, October 25 from 1pm to 4pm at the Legacy Resort Hotel and Spa, 875 Hotel Circle South, San Diego, CA, 92108.
Attendees of the Celebration are requested to reply before October 20 via EventBrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/remembering-dennis-tickets-1778240347749?aff=oddtdtcreator
This will be a time to visit, meet others in Dennis' life, and make new friends. A pastor will pray over the gathering, and then we will invite anyone who wishes to say a few words or tell us all a "Dennis story".
For those wishing to make a donation in his memory, he held the San Diego Spaniel Rescue (www.sdsr.org) and United Cerebral Palsy of San Diego (www.ucpsd.org) especially close to his heart.
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