Obituary
Obituary of John Duane Denhart
John Duane "JD" Denhart, 63, known for his animated storytelling, his down home charm, and
his love for people and animals, died Monday, December 30, 2013.
JD never knew a stranger. He was quick to make friends with people - learning about their
stories, asking them about their day and telling them about his life experiences from growing
up in Indiana to driving a tractor-trailer across the cities and towns of North America. His quick
wit laced with his stories about catching fish around the Great Lakes, collecting antiques that
fueled his love of history and watching hours of John Wayne movies and Rawhide episodes,
made him relatable to people. His magnetism shined through his large blue eyes, infectious
laugh and goofy sense of humor.
From an early age, JD cleaved to importance of family. He lived in a rural area of Boone County,
Ind., where he grew up with his two younger siblings, parents and grandparents. The family
worked together on a farm and raised swine for decades. JD spent hours grooming, caring and
training his pigs for upcoming county 4-H fairs, where he won Grand Champion prizes and
dozens of ribbons. Throughout his life, he proudly displayed a Hampshire pig figurine in his
house to remind him of those nostalgic days on the farm.
After graduating Lebanon High School in 1968, JD attended Purdue University and was lifelong
Boilermakers fan. He became a father to two children, Jennifer and John Lucas, and worked at
Dow Chemical for nearly a decade before driving a tractor-trailer across North America. By
driving around the country and Canada, he was able to see what made other cities great, eat at
local hotspots and make new friends along the way. Because of his knowledge of the country
from his travels, JD was like a human atlas - always knowing the best route to take without
looking at a map. He would even include stories and places to go along the way. He loved to
travel, be around people and try new things.
While on the road, JD met his wife, Corinna, of 32 years in northern Indiana. He loved her
completely. He would make sure to tell her how much he loved at least once a day and wrote
poems for her to remind her of his undying love. The couple had two children, Sara and Samuel
and raised them in Ottawa Lake, Mich. As his children grew up, he spent countless hours as a
coach for softball, baseball and basketball teams in the community. He would volunteer hours
at his children's elementary school, teaching the students how to use computers and emerging
technology.
In addition to his time spent volunteering at his children's school, JD went back to school for
himself. Even though he was an adult learner and was raising a family, JD received his diploma
with academic honors and was a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. He earned a
degree in drafting and design from Monroe County Community College. Upon graduation, he went to work at Applied Technologies Inc. in Toledo, Ohio, where he worked for about a
decade, designing automotive parts for major car manufacturers.
The family lived in Michigan for more than 20 years until the couple moved to Nevada five years
ago.
In retirement, JD loved to go to hot rod shows to see all the classic muscle cars he grew up with,
add more sports trading cards to his vast collection that was amassed over his six decades of
life and spend time with his family, doing new things or visiting new places. He loved keeping
up with his grandchildren, taking photographs with his old Canon camera, and spending hours
tending his virtual garden while visiting with old classmates, neighbors, family and friends
online.
He is survived by his wife, Corinna Kittle Denhart of Las Vegas, Nev.; two daughters, Jennifer
Baldwin-Wells of Commiskey, Ind., and Sara Denhart of Scottsburg, Ind.; two sons John Lucas
Denhart of Clarksville, Tenn., and Samuel Denhart of Ottawa Lake, Mich.; several grandchildren;
mother, Violet Denhart Sanders of Ottawa Lake, Mich.; one brother and sister-in-law, Dennis
and Shirley Denhart, both of Dundee, Mich.; one sister and brother-in-law, Doreen and Tim
Meisner, both of Toledo, Ohio; and many aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.
He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Elmer and Mabel Denhart, and his father, John
Thomas Denhart, who died in 1999.
Cremation was chosen. A memorial service will be held in April to celebrate JD's life.
Online condolences can be sent at www.kraftsussman.com.
Personal service begins with one call:
If someone has just died or if you need to make funeral arrangements, please call us right away--we answer the phone day and night. (702) 208-9688
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location
Kraft-Sussman Funeral & Cremation Services
3975 S Durango Dr Ste 104
Las Vegas, NV 89147
Phone: (702) 208-9688