James Dyen

Dr. James "Jim" Dyen, age 88, passed away peacefully on December 13, 2025.

Jim was born on New Year’s Eve, 1936, to Marion and David Dyen. He grew up in West Oak Lane and is a proud graduate of Central High School (Class of 202). He attended Franklin and Marshall College and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry in 1960. Like a number of his classmates, he enlisted in the military to fulfill his draft requirement before starting a practice. He served two years in the United States Air Force in suburban London.

He received a certificate in orthodontics from Boston University and opened a practice in Northeast Philly. He later became a partner in the Prodent dental group, where he worked until his retirement in 2006.

Jim’s love of classical music began when he was in high school and continued throughout his entire life. He became so well versed in the genre that he was able to identify a piece of work after hearing only a few measures. He could even listen to something he’d never heard and identify the composer. He loved to sit at the piano and improvise, playing whatever came into his head. It could be the Marine’s Hymn, followed by the national anthem of Romania, Chopin’s Polonaise Militaire, the Maple Leaf Rag, and ending with Somewhere Over the Rainbow or All Through the Night (which he sang in the original Welsh). When he was in his 70s, Jim took jazz piano lessons and in two years he learned music theory and was able to transpose songs into any key.

Jim was a die-hard Philadelphia sports fan. He always wore green when the Eagles played, but his first love was baseball. Starting with the Philadelphia Athletics and then the Phillies, he was a loyal fan for as long as he could remember. And finally, after forty-four lean years, he was rewarded with the Phillies' first World Series championship win in 1980 and another in 2008.

Jim’s love of family and interest in his ancestry were unwavering. He liked to talk about his family tree with friends and relatives, and one of his last conversations was with a cousin who had tracked down a relative in England.

Jim loved to travel, attend concerts, and play golf with his friends. He enjoyed discussing a good bottle of wine almost as much as he did tasting it. He leaves behind a legacy of humor and wordplay, a love of learning, and countless acts of gentle service.

Jim was preceded in death by his youngest brother, Randy (Nadine), and is survived by his wife Natalie, sons Jesse (Genna Giacobassi), Jeremy (Madhavi Gupta); grandchildren Anjali, Ajax, and Isacco; and brother Don.

Relatives and friends are invited to Funeral services on Monday, December 22, at 11:30 AM at Goldstein’s Rosenberg’s Funeral Directors, Inc., 6410 N. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19126. Interment will follow at Montefiore Cemetery.

Shiva will be observed following interment, starting at 1:30 PM with Minyan at 7:00 PM in the Sun and Social Room on the 6th floor of the Hillside Building at Rydal Park. Guests should enter at the main entrance of Rydal Park and ask the concierge for directions to the room. Parking is limited, so carpool if you can, or park in the Whole Foods parking lot, directly across from the main entrance.

Contributions in his memory may be made to the Settlement Music School, PO Box 63966, Philadelphia, PA 19147, www.settlementmusic.org, or to a charity of the donor's choice.