Dennis P. Quinn

1932 - 2019

Dennis P. Quinn, Ph.D., a longtime resident of Latrobe, died surrounded by his family in Excela Health Latrobe Hospital, Friday, Dec. 20, 2019. Born Dec. 14, 1932, in Manchester, N.H., Dennis was the son of the late Dennis F. Quinn and Mary D. (Boardman) Quinn, both of Manchester, N.H. He was preceded in death in 2014 by his only sibling, Mary P. Kelly, also of Manchester. Dennis is survived by his wife of 64 years, Joan C. Quinn, and his five children, Dennis Jr., of Bethesda, Md., Maura, of Manchester, N.H., John, of Kirksville, Mo., Eileen, of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Anna, of Pittsburgh; along with seven grandchildren, Annalisa, Earl Jr., Dennis, Nolen, Ruth, Jack and James. Dennis is also survived by two nephews residing in Manchester, N.H., John Dennis Kelly and Thomas Kelly. Dennis Quinn was a 1950 graduate of St. Joseph High School, in Manchester, N.H., where he was an excellent student and athlete. After a year of college on a football scholarship at St. Michael's College, in Vermont, he did a tour of duty in the Marines during the Korean Conflict. He then returned, married Joan and finished his bachelor's at St. Anslem College in Manchester, N.H. After the birth of their first two children, Dennis took his young family to South Bend, Ind., to attend the University of Notre Dame, where he earned first a master of arts and then a Ph.D. in philosophy. Upon graduation, he accepted a full-time faculty position at Saint Vincent's College, in Latrobe, where he and Joan raised their growing family of five children. Dr. Quinn ended his 42-year tenure at Saint Vincent's as chairman of the philosophy department. He was the author a book on Emmanuel Kant's metaphysics entitled, An Examination of Kant's Treatment of Transcendental Freedom. He will be very missed by his family, friends and the students whose lives he impacted.
Family and friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the JOHN J. LOPATICH FUNERAL HOME INC., 601 Weldon St., Latrobe. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday in St. John the Evangelist Church, Latrobe, with the Rev. Eric J. Dinga as celebrant. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the St. Vincent's Students First Fund at www.stvincent.edu/alumni/supporting-saint-vincent/giving-opportunities.