~ IN MEMORY ~
Military veteran, WA/DL Capt. Dennis Paul Zenger
September 27, 1944 ~ May 18, 2019
Notification with the passing of retired Western/Delta pilot
Captain Dennis Paul Zenger, age 74. Captain Zenger joined Western Airlines
02-19-1979 and retired with Delta Air Lines in 2004. He is survived by his wife
Peggy Dormer Zenger plus many other family members, friends and aviation
colleagues. Obituary information and photos may be viewed online at
As noted in obituary below, a ceremony will mark Dennis'
interment at Miramar National Cemetery on May 28th at 9AM, followed that day by
a Celebration of Life and a reception hosted aboard the USS Midway Museum in San
Diego at 11AM.
For those wishing to send a personal note, whitepages lists
the family residence as
3489 Gentle Knoll St., Carlsbad CA 92010-5552.
Should more information be received we will be sure to pass it
along.
Thank you,
~ Carol for the PCN
Obituary..............
Dennis Paul Zenger of Carlsbad, retired airline captain and
proud Naval aviator
Dennis Zenger passed away in Carlsbad, California, at the age
of 74 on Saturday, May 18th, surrounded with the love of his family. Despite
living under a cancer diagnosis for the past decade, Dennis's strength and
optimism were an inspiration to all his Sigma Chi fraternity brothers, his
fellow aviators from VF151 and beyond, his countless golf buddies, and the
friends and family saddened by his loss. Dennis was born to Elmer and Frances
Zenger in Portland, Oregon. He fondly remembered childhood fishing trips along
the Oregon coast with his father and elder brother, Dean, a tradition he
continued with his own children decades later. Upon graduating from Madison High
School in 1962, Dennis entered the University of Oregon and earned a degree in
Economics in 1966. While serving as an F4 pilot on the USS Midway, Dennis's
second deployment in 1972 included dangerous missions over North Vietnam, which
he chronicled in a contribution to the book "Vietnam to Western Airlines, Volume
2." As he wrote, "I was just as scared as everyone else but determined to do my
duty. One of my biggest motivations was to do anything I could to help our
fellow airmen in those Hanoi prisons get released." Following his military
service, Dennis joined Western Airlines in 1979. Later, as a captain for Delta
Airlines, he covered the country until his retirement in 2004. In his free time,
he explored the world by tracing his family roots back to Switzerland, plus
trips including Italy, England, France, Ireland, Germany and Australia...and
even two rounds of golf at St. Andrews in Scotland. Following a 2017 cruise to
New Zealand, he and his wife Peggy joined friends for a summer cruise to Alaska
just last year, living his life to the fullest. Dennis is survived by his wife
Peggy Dormer Zenger, his brother Dean Zenger and wife Kaye, his daughter
Stephanie Knudsen and husband Brad, his stepson Jeff Dormer and wife Sarah
Coulter, grandchildren Noah, James, Hailey and Stella, and numerous members of
his extended family in San Diego, Portland and beyond. A ceremony will mark
Dennis's interment at Miramar National Cemetery on Tuesday, May 28th at 9am, to
be followed that day by a Celebration of Life and reception hosted aboard the
USS Midway Museum in San Diego at 11am. In lieu of flowers, we ask for donations
in Dennis's memory to Disabled American Veterans ( dav.org ) or Informed
Prostate Cancer Support Group ( ipcsg.org ).
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