Dennis Paul Zehren

Dennis Paul Zehren, 82, of Forest City, died Friday, January 19, 2024 at MercyOne Medical Center North Iowa under the care of hospice.
A gathering of friends and family will be held from 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M., Saturday, February 3, 2024 at Schott Funeral Home, 505 North Clark St., Forest City, Iowa 50436
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Forest City American Legion Post #121 or the Forest City Ambulance service.
Burial will be held at a later date in St. James Catholic Cemetery in Forest City, Iowa.
Dennis Paul Zehren was born August 5, 1941 in Fargo, North Dakota, the son of Michael and Mary Zehren.
He graduated from Shanley High School in Fargo in 1959, and immediately joined the United States Marine Corps. He attended bootcamp in Pendleton, CA and his 4 years in the Marine Corps took him to Okinawa, Japan and other areas in the Far East. After his 4 years were complete, he was asked to serve as a security guard and ended up spending three years in the American Mission in Geneva, Switzerland. During this time, he met his wife, Elin, and following discharge from the Marine Corps, they were married and lived in Fargo. He was honorably discharged on August 30, 1966.
Denny pursued his education in Fargo, ND and Ft. Lauderdale, FL where he received a B.A. degree. After positions in the Twin Cities and Kansas City, he worked for Winnebago Industries which brought the family to Forest City, IA. They have a daughter, Shan, who was born in 1976. Denny ended up forming a consulting management company which he ran for the latter part of his working life.
Denny served on the City Council of Forest City for many years. He was a member of the American Legion and held an office with that organization. Winters for Denny and Elin were spent in Cape Coral, FL and they continued doing this until 2022. The addition of Paul Grey to their family, husband of Shan, was a joy especially when the couple presented them with twins – Katrina and Logan, born in 2004. It brought a lot of pleasure to Denny's life watching them grow up into the mature young people they are today.
Denny is survived by his wife Elin Zehren of Forest City; daughter, Shan and husband, Paul Grey of Shawnee, KS; twin grandchildren Katrina and Logan; sister Mary Jane and Sonny Johnson, and nieces Shyla and Yalanda.
He is preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Mike and Tim.