Dennis Earle Klewin

It is with great sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Dennis "Denny" Klewin on December 13, 2024, at the age of 85 in Bozeman, surrounded by family.

Denny was born August 22, 1939, in Rhame, North Dakota. Five years later his family settled on his grandparents' homestead where he spent the first 21 years of his life attending to all the duties, responsibilities, and enjoyment of farm and ranch life in the badlands of the very western portion of the state. Denny graduated high school from Bowman, followed by 4 years of college and a teaching degree from Dickinson State College (1961). His first professional employment was a four-year stint teaching high school at Trenton, North Dakota.

In 1965, this North Dakota country boy made his move of a lifetime all the way from the Dakota badlands to Lakenheath, England, courtesy of the Department of Defense Dependents Schools Europe (DoDDS). This vast network was the perfect "vessel" to employ motivated American teachers and for them to see the world. During the '60s, comradery and morale of teachers and teaching were high in this system. Americans were respected, the dollar was very strong, and everyone seemed to feel safe no matter how late the night, size the city, or strange the language. Life was both an adventure and dream come true. It was Camelot after all!

After Lakenheath, it was on to Frankfurt, Germany for Denny, where he met his wife-to-be, Mary Pat Dorgan. Pat had arrived from a year in Turkey to settle into a math instructor slot at Frankfurt. In 1968, a marriage in lovely Basel, Switzerland ensued and a Christmas honeymoon trip to the Far East sealed the deal. Two boys soon followed, as did the Klewins' final overseas assignment to Vicenza, Italy, which was only an hour up the road from their special love, Venice. It was also Vincenza where Denny was able to finish his master’s degree through Boston University by taking the train to Munich, Germany, to complete the final course work. Denny often said graduate schools certainly did not hassle their students in those days; they made a dream come true with traveling through the snow-capped Alps by train the only inconvenience. Wow!

Then, in 1975, reality set in. Ten years had passed. Family needs and priorities loomed. So, the overseas strings were cut and Bozeman, Montana became the Klewins' final employment site and resting place. Bozeman was a wonderful city; it had all they needed, so they settled in for the long haul. And sure enough, as fast as the previous ten years overseas had passed, 24 more at MSU whizzed by with Denny problem-solving and supporting the needs of college youth. It was his niche, and he loved his work. He retired in 1999. Pat hung up her Real Estate and Appraising shoes shortly thereafter. Then, what more to do but travel the highways and byways for another 20 years, often with trips built around families, sons, grandsons, friends, and even back to Europe a couple more times for good measure and to prove they could still do it.

Denny leaves to mourn his passing his wife of 56 years, Pat; sons, Kurt (Christy) and Michael (Kristin); and grandsons, Markus, Mason, Maxwell, and Leo.

Services for Denny will be held at Dahl Funeral & Cremation Service, 300 Highland Boulevard, Bozeman; visitation will be available Wednesday, December 18, 2024, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., as well as one hour prior to the funeral service, which begins at 2:00 p.m, Thursday, December 19, 2024. Interment at Sunset Hills Cemetery will immediately follow the service.