Dennis J "Denny, Da" Heyden

Hello.
It is Ali, As you may remember me, I used to go to Gem show together.
I used to live in Iran, and once a year I came to the USA, and mostly spent time with your Dad..
He used to supported me with all his power........
Today I found out he passed away 8n years ago, I cried a lot....
my phone number is 248-8751968

Wow! I knew Dennis when he was at Woodbridge NJ High School, and he and his parents invited me to summer with them in 1961 when his dad was working in Holland (Wassenaar). What memories and lessons from that. After I went to college in Troy NY and he went to Colorado and the Army, we lost track of each other until I contacted him via Faceback. We corresponded briefly, but lost track again, probably due in part to his health. The last news I had was about a Maremma his daughter had to watch over her livestock in Kentucky. My wife and I have had about a dozen Great Pyrenees dogs since 1974!!

That was beautifully written, Michelle. We're so sorry for what you and your family are going through. We love you.

Michelle and Kate, Im so sorry for your loss. Your dad had a beautiful soul that will be missed dearly.

How wonderful, Michelle, to have a dad that encouraged curiosity, creativity, another perspective and an insatiable love for life. He has given you a compilation of awesome memories to lift you up when you are in need. He will be missed but always represented in you and Kate.

I'm saddened by your loss and also sorry that I never got the chance to meet him. I wish I had.

I have so many great memories of Uncle Dennis. I will never forget the twinkle in his eyes. He was always making us laugh with his songs and stories. He definitely had a whimsical quality to him, that made me feel like he was on our level as kids. He loved his family fiercely, and you could tell that his daughters were the greatest joy of his life. You have so much to be proud of. Uncle Dennis, I promise to honor your memory by remembering how to be silly, never taking things too seriously and enjoy the ride of our lives.

All my love,
Your niece, Beth

I am an old friend of Denniss, having gone to school with him in Holland in the early 60s. We communicated in recent years through Facebook. I am so sorry to have learned of his passing from our mutual friend, Brook Reece.
I knew Denniss sister, Carol, quite well back in the say, and I want to send my deepest sympathies to you, Carol, and to Vivian, Michelle and Kate. I am so sorry for your loss. Dennis was a good man. Take care of yourselves.

The last Father's day card I gave to my father said There are other dads... and then there is you. He was a very complex and unusual person so words cannot do him justice. He was writing a comprehensive book on variations of jade that his fragile body did not allow him to complete. He was looking forward to my wedding, having saved a bottle of Scotch for 20 years for the occasion. He was looking forward to meeting his first grandson who we are expecting in October and I could already hear the pride in his voice. So when he slipped away while we were giving him time to rest after rough days in the hospital, we couldn't believe it. He seemed invincible, having bounced back from serious health issues repeatedly. And he just wasn't like anyone else, it seemed that maybe his charisma and vitality could keep him alive forever.

Dad (or Da as my sister and I affectionately referred to him) was a creative, playful, loving soul. He loved seeing the beauty in nature, stones, art, and music. He loved animals and had this bizarre and magical animal magnetism that drew creatures of all sorts to him. From someone's pet bobcat affectionately jumping on his shoulders at a trade show... to the unusually friendly groundhog that laid on the window ledge outside his nursing home rehab room... to the special connection he had to Bunny, Kate and Scott's huge white dog. They brought each other so much joy and others joy to see them together.

He was a creator, a musician, a limerick writer, a great storyteller and a creative curser. He was brilliant and loved sharing his ideas, learning new things, and thinking outside the box. He consistently encouraged my visual art and inspired me to be true to myself even if others thought it too strange or different. He could also be so distracted by the busyness of his mind, that he would get himself into goofy escapades with his absent-mindedness.

His heart was huge and generous. He took in to his home many animals and people who were down on their luck. He couldn't say no to a vulnerable face, furry or otherwise. He had friends from all over the world and helped instill in us as children open-minded curiosity to all humankind.

He was an entrepreneur and owned a business fueled by his passion for gemstones. He encouraged both his daughters to follow their hearts, pursue their passions, and start their own businesses.

The English language wasn't big enough for him. He came up with his own words for things, like fertgerbil and munkypumpkins. We can create a whole dictionary of Da-isms. I remember being amazed at how he could communicate with children that were just beginning to talk. They were not saying complete words but my dad would speak gibberish with them and the child, who may have just been a stranger in a store, would giggle and reply with such delight. And to our amazement (and sometimes his too), several of the words, nicknames or songs we thought had been born fresh out of his mind actually turned out to be from other languages, validated by people of those cultures.

He played drums, guitar, wooden flutes, boomba, and sang. After attending a high school reunion while in his 60s, he reunited with friends and performed and recorded an album with a band called the Countdowns. He was their drummer. He could jam with my friends on some rock tunes and showed up to several of Meg's performances with a punk rock bands at dive bars throughout the midwest, all while in his mid 60s.

He was our Da and he was a great one. I wanted everyone to meet him and those that did were charmed, full of smiles, and maybe a little surprised by his unconventional nature. Thank you, Da, for the memories full of laughter, affection, and adventure. We will love and miss you forever.

Dennis and I went to the International School in The Hague together. He was always a great character and I have many fond memories of him. I saw him again many years later in California and he came to visit me in Mendocino. He spoke glowingly of his two daughters, to whom he was very devoted. He was a good-hearted man, very generous by nature, with a great sense of humor.

Dennis had a wonderful sense of humor. The boys in the band The Countdowns thoroughly enjoyed his company and musical ability.