Obituary of Christian J. Denninger

Christian Johannes Denninger left this blue planet on January 27, 2018 in New Hampshire, in the woods that always brought him peace.  He remains in the hearts and souls of his parents, Robert V. Denninger, Jr. and Barbara (Kukuc) Denninger and his brother, Robert V. Denninger lll (note the Jr. and the lll – Christian has always been known to us as – the one and only!)

Christian was born April 1, 1996.   He lived in Bethel, CT and spent all his awesome summers in Wellfleet on Cape Cod.  He graduated Bethel High School in 2014 and was currently a senior at Keene State College, majoring in Communications.  At BHS he was a thrower for the Track & Field team.  He was chosen as a Captain his senior year and the throwing ring was like his own Zen garden.  While at Keene, he started and ran his own antiques business, Red Truck Antiques, going to various shows and flea markets, as well as having his own Etsy shop & Instagram account of the same name.  Christian also contributed to the fly fishing blog, BlogFlyFish.com.

Christian was multifaceted. He loved music, whether he was playing, listening or dancing to it.  He was his Mom’s music guru, along with his cousin, Lila.  He enjoyed writing, reading, drawing, could talk about sports of all kinds and, of course, loved hanging out with family, friends and, well, just about anyone.

His great passion, however, was the outdoors.  The time he spent in the woods, at the rivers and ponds and the ocean was his happiest.  He had no greater sidekick and partner in this passion than his brother, Robert.  They spent countless hours on great explorations, imaginative creations, wild treks and quiet times.  They were often joined by an awesome gang of cousins and friends in Bethel and in Wellfleet.  If Christian and Robert could fish together every day, life would be perfect.  It was a love started with their Dad, who took them out and about when they were young with simply a rod, a reel, a bobber and a can of corn.  Robert stuck with the bobber, but Christian picked up the art of fly fishing and immersed himself into every aspect of it, making great friends along the way.

Born on April Fool’s Day, Christian had a wicked sense of humor, the quickest wit and he could light up a room or your day with his smile and laugh.  He also had a rare insight on life and everything in it. He touched many different lives in many different ways .

Besides his parents and brother, Christian leaves behind his loved and loving family: his grandmothers, Rose Kukuc and Peggy Denninger; his godparents, Robin Denninger, Gerri Hirshey and Mark Zwonitzer; his uncles John & Chris (Laura) and his cousins and partners in way too many crimes, Sam and Lila Zwonitzer and Sydney and Haley Denninger, as well as many others in our extended families.  He was guided into his next journey by his grandfathers, John Kukuc and Robert V. Denninger (the original!) and his Uncle D – Don Kukuc.

If you knew Christian, you were amazed, amused and most certainly blessed.  You will be heartbroken and you will be sad, but go outside – look, listen, feel and breathe – you will find him there.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you consider donating to two places that brought Christian joy and where Christian brought joy.  (Please put his name on the memo line.)

Pratt Nature Center, 163 Papermill Road, New Milford, CT 06776        This will help support camp scholarships to help more children get outside and find peace and joy in nature. 

The Bethel High School All Sports Booster Club – Spiked Shoe Society (BHS ASBC-Spiked Shoe)       This fund helps BHS track athletes in need with athletic shoes, clothing and school supplies.