Dennis Kecso Obituary (1943 – 2021) – Chicago, IL – Chicago Tribune – Legacy.com

Dennis A. (Denny) Kecso

Born: July 28, 1943 in Detroit, MI

Died: November 15, 2021 in Elk Grove Village, IL

Dennis A. (Denny) Kecso, age 78, passed away on Monday, November 15th, at Alexian Brothers residential hospice facility, Elk Grove Village, Illinois due to complications from multiple myeloma. He was a resident of Oak Park, Illinois for the past 26 years.

Denny was born on July 28, 1943 to Andrew and Ann (Zeman) Kecso in Detroit, Michigan. His grandparents were Hungarian immigrants who arrived in the United States around 1910. He grew up knowing the importance of family, church, education, and hard work.

Denny attended Cardinal Mooney Latin School & College, graduating in 1965 from Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, Michigan with a Bachelor of Science in Philosophy. He also obtained a Master of Arts in Theology from the University of Detroit and a Master of Science in Organizational Development from Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois in 2002. He was a Certified Instructional Trainer.

In lieu of pursuing a vocation to the priesthood, Denny decided to devote his career to assisting others in personal and professional development in the corporate world. Starting at Ford Motor Co. in training, Denny subsequently worked for several companies, both as an employee and a consultant. He moved to Chicago in 1994 where he held positions with Waste Management, TransUnion and Anderson Consulting/Accenture until 2002. He then consulted Fortune 500 companies for approximately 20 years in organizational development and organization change management before retiring.

The performing arts were Denny’s passion. He was a member of the Windy City Gay Men’s Chorus and sang with Catholic and Episcopal church choirs on Sundays. He loved attending musical concerts and theatre in the Chicago area and was always the first to rise for a standing ovation. Denny even appeared at Second City doing improv. He demonstrated the same passion and joy with his friends, whether at parties or entertaining at home.

Sports brought additional joy to Denny. He was a lifelong University of Michigan football fan and became a Chicago Blackhawks hockey fan upon moving to Chicago. He celebrated exuberantly when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

He will always be remembered by his wide circle of friends as bigger than life, an excellent conversationalist, the life of the party, and the joy he found in everything. Denny’s character enabled him to sustain deep friendships throughout his life, including maintaining contact with two of his closest childhood friends.

Denny is survived by his brother Richard, his sister-in-law Nancy (Figel) Kecso, nephew Andrew, niece Kathleen (Kecso) Blaede, her husband Cassidy Blaede, his grand niece Lucy, and his niece Elizabeth, all of whom reside in Englewood, Colorado. There is no memorial planned. Denny donated his body to medical research and will be cremated according to his wishes. Please consider a donation in Denny’s name to The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) https://themmrf.org.