Dale J. Denno

1950 - 2019

CUMBERLAND - Dale passed away from the effects of lung cancer on the evening of Tuesday, April 16, 2019, at his home.Born on May 1, 1950, Dale grew up in California and New York State. He graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University. It was there that he met his future wife, Diane Dahlke. They lived in Freeville, N.Y., while Dale attended Cornell Law School, from which he received his Juris Doctorate degree.After law school they moved to Connecticut, where Dale worked in a private law firm and then at Cigna. While vacationing in Maine, Dale decided that this was the place he truly wanted to live and work. He applied to UNUM in Portland where he became a vice president and associate general counsel. Later he worked at SPX Communications Technology in Raymond, Maine, as Director of Contracts. From 2002-2006 he was an assistant attorney general for the state of Maine. Eventually he became director of the Office of Family Independence for the Maine Department of Human Services.When Dale retired in 2013 he found his passion for politics. Twice he won the Maine House seat for District 45. He was active in the Cumberland community throughout his residence there serving on the MSAD 51 School Board, the town Aging in Place Committee, the Cumberland Democratic Committee, and was a member of the Lions Club. During his retirement he was also an adjunct professor of business law at St. Joseph's College in Standish, Maine, and volunteered as an English teacher at Learning Works in Portland. Throughout his life he loved learning new things, particularly keeping up with the French language. His ability to retain all sorts of knowledge was displayed when he appeared on the television show, "Jeopardy".Besides his wife, Diane Dahlke, Dale leaves behind his son, Jesse Denno of New York City, his son, Evan Denno of Augusta, Maine, Evan's wife, Kunsang Dolma and their two children, Tenzin Yangchen and Tenzin Yangzom. He was predeceased by his brother, Michael, but is survived by his sisters, Judy Burr and her husband, Tom; Nancy Denault-Weiss and her husband, Joe; brothers, Wayne; Adrian "Bud" and his wife, Lani; Jeff and his wife, Betty; Jerry Brown Denno and his wife, Beverly and a sister-in-law, Terry Denno. One always knew when Dale was in the room. He had an infectious laugh, a commanding voice and an outgoing personality. His intellect was sharp and his wit legendary.A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m., on Saturday, April 27, at The Cumberland Congregational Church. Following the service there will be a reception in the church Parish Hall. Online condolences may be sent to www.funeralalternatives.netDonations in Dale's memory can be made to:The Homeless Animal Rescue Team of Maine (hartofmaine.org).