A phone call from board member Rick Deneweth always ended with him saying, “I’ll talk to you.” On November 11, 2016, I got a call from a friend that was like a knife into my soul. Rick Deneweth was gone. He had passed unexpectedly, but peacefully, in his sleep at home.
Incredulous, I spoke loudly into the phone, “What? Rick Deneweth?” I thought it just had to be a mistake. Then, I slumped back into my chair as tragedy sank to my core.
In my years working at electric cooperatives, I have seen more than one board member pass away. Most of them were great board members. Rick was simply in a class by himself. He was always prepared, always thoughtful and, most importantly, always had the best interest of the entire membership at heart.
I first met Rick at a social event in October 2007. His wife, Connie, is the head of Traverse City State Bank. A smart, intelligent and active community leader, I was hoping that she would apply for a board vacancy we had at that time.
Instead, it was her husband who applied. I vividly remember thinking, “Who is this guy? Why would we want the second best for our members?” The board did their work and interviewed a handful of applicants. Rick was appointed to the Cherryland board and began serving our members in December of 2007.
I quickly learned how wrong I had been. Rick had a law degree, was a successful businessman and also a certified public accountant. He was joint managing partner for Copper Ridge LLC, owner/associate broker at Three West commercial real estate company and later co-owner of LC Materials. Still, over our years together, I often kidded him about being “Mr. Connie Deneweth.”
With all of this in his life, Rick never neglected his sons’ activities or his community. He drove his boys to hockey games all over the state. He was a supporter and donor to many youth hockey activities around Traverse City. Rick also played a big role in raising money for the Honor Flights that took World War II veterans to Washington D.C. He was a guardian himself on the second flight out of Traverse City.
In spite of his busy schedule, Rick still made room for quality time for the members of Cherryland Electric Cooperative. He stepped up his service six years ago when he was appointed to represent Cherryland on the Wolverine Power Supply Cooperative board. Just this spring, he became chairman of the board at Wolverine.
His lack of ego, immense talent and constant drive made him great. What made him special was his gift for lifting people up by just being who he was. It simply felt good to be around him. Unconsciously, you found yourself wanting to work even harder, do better and be better.
We would often ride to meetings together. We talked on the phone at least once or twice a month. Those were the best of times. We debated cooperative issues, political strategy and community politics. I knew I was out of my league, but I craved each small opportunity to try to keep pace. He always made me feel like I had.
I walked about the office on that dark November day clutching my cell phone in my hand. In between making sad calls to his co-op family and trying to think about all the details this loss forces on our business, I looked into the screen on my phone squeezing it so hard. I prayed that it would ring and his name would appear just one more time. Ultimately, reality sank in. With tears in my eyes, I simply whispered to myself, “I’ll talk to you.”
Well said~ truly a great man:)
Very thoughtful note, compassionate note. Need more people like him (and you for reflecting) in our world.
So heart touching….
Thank you for sharing such your tribute to a very lovely man.
Although we did not personally him as you did, we felt your sadness and profound loss of a close friend.
You must be a very kind & compassionate man yourself.
Well written, well said. I know Connie well (who doesn’t?) and had only met Rick once or twice in the past few years. His loss is a loss to the entire community because of the lives he touched. Thanks for writing this article!
What a beautiful tribute to Rick and the impact he made on those who know him. Connie, his wonderful sons, you, and the community of people who know him will continue to be in my heart and prayers. And, I have a feeling that indeed, you will “talk”.
Thank you for sharing. This was an excellent tribute.
Tony,
What a wonderful tribute! I am assembling a binder of memories from friends & relatives. Your article will be an awesome addition to the binder. So when our boys feel like their memory of Rick is fading they can read this binder of comments, thoughts and prayers.
In much appreciation to you, the Cherryland Board and the Co-Op members. It was such an honor for Rick to serve on this Board. He truly looked forward to every single meeting.
We miss him terribly EVERY minute of every day.
Connie
A Fantastic article on a Fantastic Man, very well written. I always looked forward to a meeting with Rick either business or personal it didn’t matter, he was so comfortable to visit with. A leader like this is a true gem and will be greatly missed.
Tony – Spot on!
I love this picture of Rick – it was HIM!!! Tony, thanks for the beautiful tribute to our dear friend! It will not be the same without Rick but he would want all of us to move on and DO better! 🙂
Tony,
Great testimonial suited for the great man Rick was. He was an inspiration to many!
How beautiful. Thank you for shading
Thank you for sharing and serving with such passion Tony. “In a class by himself” is a very accurate descriptor.
Thank you, Tony, for you thoughts! Rex and I first met Rick through the Montessori Children’s House and then he was our landlord in Copper Ridge. He was always so supportive of us and our clinic. Thank you!
There is not enough time in the day to express my sadness, and the loss that i feel. You did a terrific job with this article, and am very certain you had a hard time keeping it small enough to post. We all could write Volumes detailing what a wonderful person Rick Deneweth IS. I also nearly crushed my cell phone when receiving the news….. I am lucky enough to have a voice mail message saved in my phone from Rick that i still listen to once or twice a week… “…. See you at the Croft in an hour …. I’ll talk to you!
Heartbreaking. Wonderful soul.
I’m so sorry for the loss of those who knew him. He must have been a wonderful man. Even though I never met him, the effect he had on you gave me a sadness that I never had the pleasure. Certainly, it is a great loss to our community but we will re-choice that he once touched so many people.
What a touching tribute , he must have been a wonderful person. Even though I never met him, I feel a great sadness that I never had the pleasure. While he will be missed, we need to give thanks that he was a part of our community and touched so many people.