THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 13, 1996 TAG: 9606130371
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KILL DEVIL HILLS LENGTH: 95 lines
His tales of submarine travels in the South Pacific entertained friends and revived ghastly images of World War II combat.
Furniture from his store filled hundreds of beach cottages throughout the Outer Banks. Work he did as an elected official and volunteer on numerous local and state boards helped citizens throughout northeastern North Carolina.
After 20 years of serving in the U.S. Navy, dozens of years working in the U.S. State Department and 25 years of striving to improve his community, Joseph George Deneke finally is at rest.
The 70-year-old former Kill Devil Hills mayor died of a heart attack Tuesday afternoon while running errands in Norfolk.
On Wednesday, friends and family members expressed surprise at the sudden passing of the spry activist and sadness at the community's loss.
Not everyone agreed with Deneke, his views or his methods. But most people who have lived in Kill Devil Hills during the past decade seemed to know the trim, active, ever-present player in local politics.
``He was a very vibrant person, very outgoing,'' daughter Doris Deneke said of her dad. ``He loved the beach and was always working for what he saw as the betterment of Kill Devil Hills. He loved being in the public eye.
``You either liked him or you didn't,'' Doris Deneke said. ``But you couldn't meet him without him leaving an impression on you.''
After a stint in the Navy as an enlisted man working on radio equipment in submarines and several as a communications specialist in the U.S. State Department, Deneke moved to the Outer Banks in 1972 with his wife and three children. He opened and operated Viking Furniture on the U.S. 158 bypass, continuing to run the shop with his daughter, Doris, until the day he died. In 1979 he won his first elected office as a commissioner on the Kill Devil Hills board.
Deneke served as town commissioner for two years, then was re-elected in 1983 and held that seat for eight additional years. In 1989, he became mayor pro tem. And in May 1992, fellow board members appointed Deneke mayor - a position he held for a year and a half.
In addition to local offices, Deneke filled seats on several regional and state boards. He was a member of the Albemarle Commission for years, serving as chairman of that development group from 1992 until 1993. Recently, North Carolina Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight, D-Dare, appointed Deneke to the First Flight Centennial Commission and to the state's Revenue and Tax Issues Committee.
``Joe was a wonderful friend and a great American war hero,'' Basnight said Tuesday from his Raleigh office. ``He served his country in conflict. He loved Kill Devil Hills and its people. And he served his town and state in many different capacities.
``Joe was never derelict in his responsibilities or duties to attend meetings and represent the interests of the small people,'' said the senator. ``He was very generous and kind and gave a lot of himself and his resources to help others. He had the tenacity and the determination to give the good fight to help the region - and he was always willing to make that extra effort.''
As a Kill Devil Hills commissioner and, later, an activist from the audience, Deneke fought for town officials to consolidate some services with neighboring beach towns. He started a quarterly newsletter town employees produced for the residents, and he encouraged elected leaders to lower property taxes.
``He was a hard-working individual. And when he thought something should be done, he kept pressing for it,'' said Bobby Rollason, who served three terms with Deneke on the Kill Devil Hills Board of Commissioners. ``He enjoyed politics a lot more than most of us do. And even after he was out of office, he kept those elected officials straight. He kept on 'em constantly - even 'til the end.''
The night before he died, Deneke attended a Kill Devil Hills town meeting, addressing items on the proposed budget from his seat in the audience.
``He always had an idea about how to try something new and different,'' said Dare County Tourist Bureau spokesman Warren Judge, who considered Deneke a good friend. ``He always had stories to entertain and enlighten us. He was an elder statesman - a guy who'd been in the trenches and been around a while. He was great reference material. His loss will stretch far and wide.''
Lifeguard Beach Service owner Bob Gabriel agreed. Deneke was one of the first people to shake Gabriel's hand when he moved to the Outer Banks 15 years ago. The two ate breakfast together religiously at the Jolly Roger restaurant.
``Joe was an orphan - a truly self-made man,'' Gabriel said Wednesday. ``He's an American who worked two or three jobs at a time to keep his family going - and still found time to serve his country and his community. He was genuine to the core. There was nothing phony about Joe. He took a lot of abuse - but never stopped working on issues out of love for his town and its people.
``Even if he only had a half-hour between meetings, he made sure he'd run home and cut his grass,'' Gabriel said of Deneke. ``He was a man's man. And they're not many of them left any more. He was honest and good. He'll be dearly missed.''
Deneke is survived by his wife, Elisabeth, daughter Doris of Kill Devil Hills, a son, Bernard of Virginia Beach and another daughter, Michelle, who lives in Raleigh. ILLUSTRATION: DENEKE SERVICES
Joseph George Deneke, 70, died Wednesday. His family is planning a
private funeral for 10 a.m. Friday in Oriental, N.C.
An Outer Banks memorial service is tentatively scheduled for Sunday,
June 23.
KEYWORDS: DEATH OBITUARY by CNB