Dennis Paul Zenger

1944 - 2019

Dennis Paul Zenger September 27, 1944 - May 18, 2019 CARLSBAD Retired airline captain and proud Naval aviator Dennis Zenger passed away in Carlsbad, California, at the age of 74 on Saturday, May 18th, surrounded with the love of his family. Despite living under a cancer diagnosis for the past decade, Dennis's strength and optimism were an inspiration to all his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers, his fellow aviators from VF151 and beyond, his countless golf buddies, and the friends and family saddened by his loss. Dennis was born to Elmer and Frances Zenger in Portland, Oregon. He fondly remembered childhood fishing trips along the Oregon coast with his father and elder brother, Dean, a tradition he continued with his own children decades later. Upon graduating from Madison High School in 1962, Dennis entered the University of Oregon and earned a degree in Economics in 1966. While serving as an F4 pilot on the USS Midway, Dennis's second deployment in 1972 included dangerous missions over North Vietnam, which he chronicled in a contribution to the book "Vietnam to Western Airlines, Volume 2." As he wrote, "I was just as scared as everyone else but determined to do my duty. One of my biggest motivations was to do anything I could to help our fellow airmen in those Hanoi prisons get released." Following his military service, Dennis joined Western Airlines in 1979. Later, as a captain for Delta Airlines, he covered the country until his retirement in 2004. In his free time, he explored the world by tracing his family roots back to Switzerland, plus trips including Italy, England, France, Ireland, Germany and Australia...and even two rounds of golf at St. Andrews in Scotland. Following a 2017 cruise to New Zealand, he and his wife Peggy joined friends for a summer cruise to Alaska just last year, living his life to the fullest. Dennis is survived by his wife Peggy Dormer Zenger, his brother Dean Zenger and wife Kaye, his daughter Stephanie Knudsen and husband Brad, his stepson Jeff Dormer and wife Sarah Coulter, grandchildren Noah, James, Hailey and Stella, and numerous members of his extended family in San Diego, Portland and beyond. A ceremony will mark Dennis's interment at Miramar National Cemetery on Tuesday, May 28th at 9am, to be followed that day by a Celebration of Life and reception hosted aboard the USS Midway Museum in San Diego at 11am. In lieu of flowers, we ask for donations in Dennis's memory to Disabled American Veterans (dav.org) or Informed Prostate Cancer Support Group (ipcsg.org).