Dennis Kavanagh

1936 - 2016

Dennis Kavanagh

1936 - 2016

Dennis Kavanagh died peacefully at his home in Sausalito on Saturday, April 23, 2016, from pancreatic cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 59 years, Barbara, and his sons Tony (Kristen) and Michael (Anne-Marie); son Christopher died in August 2015. He also leaves two loving granddaughters, Jessie and Emily, as well as sisters-in-law Kathleen Hilger (Chuck) and Kris Beall (Karl Coffield), nephew Kenneth Moodie (Ami Davis), niece Rigel Flaherty, and great-nephews Calvin Moodie and J.D. and Jacob Porter.

Dennis was born in San Francisco and moved with his family to San Mateo, where he attended St. Matthew's grammar school. In the eighth grade, he wrote for the San Mateo Times as a junior reporter on local baseball games. After graduating from Serra High School, Dennis earned a B.A. in political science ('59) at UC Berkeley, where he played freshman football during the tenure of Coach "Pappy" Waldorf. He went on to earn a J.D. ('62) at UC Berkeley's law school, Boalt Hall. During his time at Berkeley, he also served in the officers' training program in the Marine Corps Reserve. Dennis would remain a proud Cal alumnus and Golden Bears fan for the rest of his life.

Dennis's law career began with an internship with State Assemblyman William Byron Rumford, the first African American elected to state public office in northern California, whose keynote achievement was passage of the 1959 Fair Employment Practices Act banning employment discrimination in California. Dennis, Barbara, and their young sons resided in Sacramento during Dennis's legislative internship, then spent several memorable months on vacation in Mexico City.

The family settled in Mill Valley, and Dennis spent the rest of his career based in San Francisco as a lobbyist and attorney. After winning his first case at trial and working in partnership with Frank Brown (brother of Governor Pat Brown), Dennis opened his own practice with Barbara as office manager and paralegal. As a lobbyist in Sacramento for mobile home owners, he was instrumental in passage of legislation that would advance tenants' rights broadly around the state. Later in his career, Dennis took the opportunity to become full-time attorney for Continental Insurance, where he remained until he retired.

During his years in San Francisco, Dennis joined the illustrious Lapins Sauvages amateur softball team, founded by Ed Moose, proprietor of the Washington Square Bar and Grill. He traveled as relief pitcher with the Lapins Sauvages to Moscow, Paris, Hong Kong, and Havana and faced opposing players including Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings.

In 1966, after his first year of law practice, Dennis and Barbara took their sons, ages three, six, and seven, on an extensive European driving trip, traveling (with the steering wheel on the wrong side) from the U.K. to Morocco and back across Europe. Barbara and Dennis also took numerous sailing trips: Barbara was captain and Dennis first mate as they sailed around Mallorca and the Virgin Islands, from St. Martin's to St. Bart's, and to Tonga and Bay of Islands, New Zealand. With friends, they sailed in the Greek Islands, the Caribbean, and Tahiti and went canal boating in France.

In his retirement, Dennis coached the Mock Trial team at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley. With his coaching, and with granddaughter Jessie ('08) competing, the team won the U.S. championship in 2005. It has now triumphed at the county level for 20 years running. Dennis also volunteered with ABC News' Seven on Your Side with Michael Finney, vetting consumer complaints and giving advice. He served on the Marin County Grand Jury and the Marin County Bar Association board, and he was president of the Irish-American Bar Association for 17 years. In San Francisco, he was a member of the Olympic Club and the University Club, as well as a long-time member of the Sacramento Seminar.

Dennis will be deeply missed by his family and his wide circle of friends. A memorial service is being planned for the near future. Contact: kavanaghfamily2016@gmail.com.