Dennis Allan Abend

A Mass of Christian Burial for Dennis Allan Abend, 79, of Newark, will be held at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church,10 A.M., Wednesday, August 21, 2024, with Fr. Mike Gentry as celebrant. Interment will be held at Calvary Cemetery, Lorain, Ohio, 11 A.M., Thursday, August 22, 2024. Calling hours will be held at the Reed-Egan Funeral Home, 141 Green Wave Drive, Newark, 4-7 P.M., Tuesday, August 20, 2024, with a Vigil Service held at 6:30 P.M.
Denny passed away on Friday, August 16, 2024, at the Selma Markowitz Care Center of Hospice of Central Ohio. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio on August 11, 1945, to the late Walter Gust and Tillie (nee Barna) Abend.
He grew up in Parma, Ohio, graduating from Valley Forge High School in 1963. Denny graduated with a B.S.Ed. from Bowling Green State University in January 1968 and was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. He graduated with his M.Ed. in August 1970, also from Bowling Green State University.
Denny began his career teaching driver's education at Bowling Green High School. In 1974, he became the assistant principal and athletic director at Utica High School. In 1990, he became principal at West Jefferson High School. He was also a substitute teacher at C-TEC for many years in the mid to late 1990s. He retired after 30 years of teaching in Ohio.
On August 10, 1968, Denny married Donna Jean Woltman. Together, during their 56 years of marriage, they enjoyed traveling the world. They visited all seven continents, over one hundred countries, and all fifty states. They enjoyed many trips with Park National Bank's Freedom Years and sailing with Princess Cruises. Their very favorite trip was an African safari to Kenya and Tanzania. He volunteered at The Works and the Midland Theater for many years.
He was a long-time member of St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church in Newark, where he served as a Eucharistic Minister.
He enjoyed cheering on his favorite sports teams as a season ticket holder for both the Cleveland Browns and the Cleveland Indians/Guardians, and he was a fervent supporter of the Ohio State Buckeyes. He also enjoyed golfing and took pride in being a marshal at the Memorial Golf Tournament for 15 years.
He will be greatly missed by his wife Donna, his brother- and sister-in-law, James and Mary Alyce Woltman of Lorain, Ohio, his nephews Marc Stiffler of Williams, Oregon and Gregory Woltman, of Jersey City, New Jersey, and his niece, Olivia Steele, of Lake Mary, Florida.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his father-in-law Donald (Rita) Woltman, his mother-in-law Helen (Casimir) Szarek, and his sister-in-law Carol Jane Woltman.
Denny received exceptional care from Dr. Jason Winterhalter at Cherry Westgate and The James OSU Wexner Medical Center, Licking Memorial Hospital, and Hospice of Central Ohio.
Memorial contributions can be made to Hospice of Central Ohio, 2269 Cherry Valley Road, Newark, OH 43055; or the Society of St. Vincent de Paul St. Theresa of Calcutta Conference, P.O. Box 4520, Newark, OH 43055.
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