Obituary of Monte Campbell Dennis
Monte Campbell DENNIS passed away suddenly on Thursday, April 22, 2021 in Kingston, age 80 years young, of Amherstview, Ontario. We are grateful that he was with family and spent a last beloved evening with his son and daughter-in-law. Formerly of many great places across southern Ontario including Burlington (Mount Nemo), Waterloo Region, and Queensborough. He also spent some time in Minnesota, New York State, and Alabama.
Monte is survived by his partner Jean Stuart; his children Scott (wife Melanie); Kara (husband Dean); brother Edward (wife Judy); grandchildren Brooke (husband Nick), Ila and Emerson; great-grandchildren Charlie and Thatcher; and a host of blended family, and friends. Predeceased by his second wife Lillian Ruminsky (2004) and brother Robert Dennis (2014). Monte was a Queen's Scout and had many lifelong friends with the 11th Kitchener Scout Group. He surrounded himself with passionate people and loved to host parties with lots of good food, and laughter.
A proud Alumni of the University of Waterloo (1967) and Professional Engineer. Monte worked for IBM in the early part of his career in research and development, including the Apollo missions. He retired from teaching Technology at Conestoga College where he encouraged and challenged many students. Monte felt honored to volunteer for two sessions in Ghana, Africa teaching locals the skills they needed to repair and maintain medical equipment. Monte was a life-long student himself. He was curious and eager to tour any kind of facility, manufacturing plant, natural wonder, or historic site, to see how things worked and the people or reason behind it. Monte was our go-to person for anything technical and instilled confidence in his kids that we can build or repair anything, and that hard work is actually fun. He was known as “Dedo” or “Poppa Monte” to his grand and great-grand kids. They, along with many others, will remember him for his garden railway, train paraphernalia covering every inch of the house, and the stone horses in the yard. Monte always had multiple interesting projects on the go and shared his progress and talents with us all.
Monte had an unusual obsession for sauerkraut. This involved a family business fermenting sauerkraut in St. Jacobs and Milverton, annual sauerkraut making parties in Burlington, and years of subjecting family and friends to strange and unusual concoctions made with kraut! With help from Scott, Mel and Jean, Monte was able to finally publish an all-inclusive sauerkraut cookbook in 2021.
Monte had a sense of humor about the realities of life and kept us all apprised of the latest politics. He believed in individual accountability and the power of community to make a difference. Monte advocated for responsible land use throughout his life and spent countless hours giving back to the community in many ways. He was never afraid to stand up or speak out. Monte never stopped caring and lending his voice or expertise to do what he felt was right.
Cremation has taken place and a celebration of life will be planned when we can get together in the future. For now, to celebrate Monte, put on a brightly patterned shirt, eat some sauerkraut, enjoy a dram of good scotch, and take a walk in the woods! Memorial donations can be made to a local charity of your choice. The family wishes to send a special thank you to the health care teams at CBI Home Health, Hotel Dieu and Kingston General Hospital, and the first responders for their care and compassion.
“I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon…if I can.” – Dean Alfange
