Dennis Dusenbery

Dennis Dusenbery,  a  resident of Albuquerque, N.M., and formerly of Port Washington,  passed away  on Jan 2, 2021.

Dennis was born Aug. 21, 1945, in Milwaukee, Wis., to Jay and Lorraine (nee Halverson) Dusenbery.

His early years were spent in Port Washington attending Washington Heights Elementary School.  

Growing up in Port Washington with his brother and sister, he enjoyed fishing on Lake Michigan in the summer and ice skating in the winter. As a teenager he became interested in photography, even winning some local photography contests.

Dennis went to high school and two years of college at what was then Concordia College in Milwaukee, Wis. His last two years of college were at Concordia College, Fort Wayne, Ind. He then attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, graduating in 1971.

Dennis was married to Rebecca Wessler on Saturday, Aug. 9, 1969. They settled in Jeffersonville, Ind., where he served as the pastor of a Lutheran church. But he felt his true calling was photography, and after the family moved to Elizabethtown, Ky., he landed a job as photographer at the local newspaper, “The News Enterprise.”

His proudest moment from this time came in 1977, when he was one of only a handful of reporters and photographers who, for one time only, were allowed into the famous Fort Knox Gold Repository.

 In 1980, he was hired by the Albuquerque Tribune, and he moved the family to New Mexico. He later found a new career at PNM (Public Service Company of New Mexico), where he continued to work until retiring in 2007.

Dennis soon rekindled his love of photography as a hobby with a fondness for nature and wildlife photography in particular. His photos have been featured in New Mexico Magazine and in an exhibit at the Albuquerque Natural History museum, and he left a legacy of many memorable images.

He is survived by his children, Geoff Dusenbery, Jill Dusenbery and Tim Dusenbery, all of Albuquerque; his brother Rick Dusenbery of West Bend, Wis.; his sister Jean (Stephen) Williams of Two Harbors, Minn.; and his nieces, Sarah Williams, Erin (Sayer) Larson and Kimberly (Jack) King.

A memorial service was held on Friday, Jan. 15, 2021, at  French Funerals of Albuquerque.

To see a slide show of Dennis’s life and his photos, which includes pictures from those early years in Port Washington, or to leave condolences please visit www.frenchfunerals.com.