Dennis Jay Dusenbery

Dennis Dusenbery, age 75, a long time Albuquerque resident, passed away on Saturday, January 2, 2021. He is survived by his children, Geoff Dusenbery, Jill Dusenbery and Tim Dusenbery, all of Albuquerque, his brother Rick Dusenbery of West Bend, WI, and his sister Jean Williams of Two Harbors, MN.
Dennis was born Tuesday, August 21, 1945 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Growing up in Port Washington, WI with his brother and sister, he enjoyed fishing in 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.
After high school he attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. It was during this time that he met Rebecca (Becky) Wessler. They were married on Saturday, August 9, 1969, and began a family, welcoming Geoff, Jill and Timothy over the next six years. The newlyweds settled in Jeffersonville, Indiana, 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, Kentucky, 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. It doesn’t look anything like in the movie “Goldfinger,” he would often say.
He became restless, though, and yearned to work for a larger newspaper. In 1980 he was hired by the Albuquerque Tribune, and he moved the family to New Mexico. He eventually left the paper, though, and after a brief, unsuccessful stint as an insurance salesman, found a new career at PNM, where he continued to work until retiring in 2007. He soon rekindled his love of photography as a hobby, with a fondness for nature and wildlife photography in particular. He was especially thrilled each spring, when a family of owls would return to the Albuquerque Academy campus to have their babies, a favorite subject for his camera lens. 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.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, January 15, 2021, 3:00 p.m. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, attendance is limited. A link to join us in the privacy of your own home can be found here: http://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/44954

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