Birth date: May 15, 1950 Death date: Apr 25, 2021
On Sunday, April 25, 2021, our beloved Dennis Laurence Michael Donovan passed away peacefully in his sleep, at the age of 70. Dennis was born on May 15, 1950 in San Francisco, CA. He lived in there until he was 5 years old, when Read Obituary
I was looking Dennis up to pick up clarinet lessons with him after taking a few years break. I am very sad to hear of his passing. He was an incredible teacher, very inspiring, and just an absolute joy. He talked about his family so fondly and I wish them well.
Dennis was more than a friend; he was an event. Out of high school, he got me my first job doing piece work in a box factory for 10 cents a box. Two weeks later, he said, “Hey, do you want to go to Canada?” Off we went. What a great experience being in a country where you don’t know anybody, don’t have any money, and nowhere to sleep. Coming back was a trip (literally) with Dennis saying, “Let’s hop a freight,” which we did, and after ½ of a mile when it stopped and didn’t go any further, it was time to take a bus back home. In my trumpet-playing days, he’d call me up and say there is a band that needs a trumpet. I’d say, I don’t think I’m good enough, and Dennis would say, “That’s OK.
They’re desperate.” I played in the “Old Dice” garage band with him, and we played all kinds of crazy gigs, including Lodi (more than once!). An all-time “uh, oh” happened when we finished playing some function down in the South Bay at 2 in the morning. Dennis said not to bother with driving home because he knew someone who lived in that town, and we could crash there. We parked his (junker) car pointing down a hill (because it needed a rolling start) and walked down in the dark carrying our instrument cases. Dennis, very sure of himself, knocked on a door - wrong one - someone called the police - they arrived as we walked back up the hill with our cases - and boy howdy didn’t we look suspicious. Dennis always had a big heart, a wry sense of humor, and an appetite for life. He was so special. He was one of the finest humans I’ve ever known, and I will always be grateful for the times I had with him.
