Dennis Bengels, beloved husband, father, grandfather, doglover, advocate and friend, passed away on January 29th at the age of 84.

While still in college, Dennis met his wife of sixty years, Barbara. Although they had recently relocated to New Jersey, most of their years together were spent raising their family in Garden City, New York. Throughout his life, Dennis enjoyed watching the birds out his window, listening to music, tending to plants (especially a fig tree and an orange plant), and going to dog parks. Above all, he savored visits from his children and grandchildren.

Dennis loved learning. He graduated early from Lynbrook High School and studied chemistry at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. He was proud of his role as secretary of the American Chemical Society, but his plan to be a chemist was quickly diverted after a bout with selenium poisoning. He quickly pivoted to New York Law School and followed that career for many decades.

Beyond formal education, however, Dennis explored one intellectual passion after the next. Along the way, he studied Japanese swords, the Civil War, rice bowls, prairie grass, and violins, just to name a few. Over the years, he collected many objects linked to these research sprees. Dennis was also appreciative of the arts, especially music. He was an excellent pianist and encouraged his children to play instruments, dance, and experiment with all sorts of art-making materials. His passion for the visual arts in particular was evident in his collection of sketches, paintings, and prints. He also loved literature and often quoted suitable passages to match any occasion or to dramatize a point.

Dennis practiced law in New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County, often litigating difficult medical malpractice cases that drew upon his earlier career in chemistry. Dennis was a memorable orator in the courtroom, earning the respect of clients, fellow attorneys, and judges throughout the court system. In the latter portion of his legal career, Dennis argued on behalf of whistleblowers and advocated for those whose constitutional rights had been denied. His versatility, reliability, and eloquence will long be remembered by former colleagues and those he mentored.

From 1975 through 2000, Dennis and Barbara always had at least one child in the Garden City schools. Together, they relentlessly advocated school programs: music, special education, gifted education, and more. After a shop teacher was injured in a car accident, he advocated for a stop sign. When teachers needed legal support, he volunteered it; when students needed a fairer system, he fought for that, too. Together, he and his wife were very proud to be honored for these efforts with the “Friends of Education Award” through the New York State United Teachers Association.

Travel was also an important part of Dennis's life. Before children, he and Barbara took many trips to Mexico. Driving there and back, he was able to lug wooden furniture across the country! Later, with his children, he made that drive several more times, but also took road trips through Western Europe, Scandinavia, Turkey, and Greece, as well as across the United States and Canada. He loved the woods of Vermont, where he had a log cabin, and the prairies of Kansas where he also owned several tracts of land. In fact, starting in 1978, he regularly drove to Lawrence, Kansas each summer so that Barbara could attend a science fiction seminar and he could have special times with his daughters. He also gave a few lectures to med school students at the University of Kansas.

Dennis could be very unconventional. As a child, he ordered a pet snake but didn't tell his mother about it. You can imagine her shock when she found it swinging from his bedroom chandelier! Barbara remembers his lying on the ground, playing with puppies...with a dog toy in his mouth! An Eagle Scout with four daughters, he became an honorary Girl Scout leader for camping trips, and aimed to ease the kids' fear of bears by dressing up with a bear hat and going from tent to tent making bear sounds. In short, he wasn't afraid to make his own rules, and to have fun doing so!

Dennis loved being a father and grandfather. Whether explaining earth science or creating mixtapes of violin concertos, he did what he could to feed their minds. He loved making pancakes and cutting out pumpkins. He never shied away from a water fight and loved attending their performances. His daughters gave him the nickname "DAB", but to his grandchildren he was "Abby." With pride, he wore a t-shirt proclaiming himself "Abby-normal." Indeed, he was no ordinary man.

Dennis is survived by his wife, Barbara, daughters Liz (Chrys), Emily, and Jessica (Greg), four grandchildren, and his sister Nadeen Kaufman. He was preceded in death by his parents, Hannah and Seymour, and his youngest daughter, Melinda.

A casual memorial service will be held in his honor on February 14th from 1-4 at Laurel Circle in Bridgewater, NJ and on February 15th on Zoom, at a time yet to be determined. His family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be shared with any local food pantry.