Denam James “Denny” Elledge
Denam James “Denny” Elledge, 93, was born July 31, 1922, in Standish, California, to George Elledge and Mayda Koken Elledge. Denny passed away on Friday, November 13, 2015, at St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada, due to complications from a heart attack. He passed peacefully with his family at his side.
Denny lived nearly all of his life in Standish. He attended the one-room Standish School through eighth grade and then attended Lassen High School graduating with the class of 1939. After high school Denny attended Lassen College and drove the high school bus from Standish to Susanville. It was during this time that Denny met the love of his life, Marjorie Bass. After college, Denny joined the United States Navy and served aboard the USS Eaton in the Pacific Fleet during World War Two. While on leave, Denny and Marjorie married in Reno, Nevada, on October 4, 1944. After his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1946, Denny returned to Standish and worked on the Elledge Ranch alongside his father, George. In 1951 Denny and Marjorie’s son Terry was born and in 1958 their daughter Denise was born. Denny and Marjorie continued to own and operate the Elledge Ranch until its sale in the late 1960’s. At that time Denny went to work for Lassen County, first in the Lassen County Assessor’s Office as an Appraiser, later transferring to the Lassen County Road Department as a heavy equipment operator at the Standish Road Shop, eventually promoting up through the ranks to foreman of the Standish Road Shop. He retired from Lassen County in 1981.
Denny was a person who loved people and strongly believed in giving back to his community. Denny and Marjorie had many good friends with whom they loved to socialize, especially getting together to play pinocle. They loved to have an occasional night out on the town with friends where they would dance the night away. They enjoyed camping, picnics, and celebrating holidays with friends and family; Denny loved to hunt and fish with friends. Denny was a member of the Standish-Litchfield Fire Department Board of Directors, he was on the Shaffer Union School District Board of Trustees, he was on the Lassen Irrigation District Board of Directors, and he was on the Lassen County Fair Board. He served many years as the Fire Chief, he was the President of the School Board and Irrigation District Board for many years, and he was always the first one to volunteer to do special projects for all of these organizations. Denny was the Lassen County Fair Old Timer of the Year in 2012.
After his retirement from Lassen County, Denny and Marjorie enjoyed traveling in their motor home. They were charter members of the Nataqua Neversweats R.V. club and enjoyed many trips and camp-outs with the friends they made in the club. Many of the club members became cherished friends to Denny and Marjorie and in recent years have maintained that strong relationship with Denny, almost like family, even after he was no longer able to travel with the club. Denny and Marjorie also owned land in the pristine mountains near Antelope Lake where they had their second home, or “camp” as it was known. They spent many a summers living there in their motor home where they loved the peace and quiet, the mountains, the birds and wildlife, and fishing at Antelope Lake. They traveled in the motor home with many of their friends to places including Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and they were “snow birds” to Arizona for many years. They traveled in their motor home one summer all the way to North Carolina to visit their son and his family, seeing many wonderful places along the way. Also after retirement Denny took up the hobby of woodworking. He made many wood nick-nacks and decorations for his friends and family and sold items at local craft shows. He also made all of the frames for the paintings that Marjorie painted and helped her with another of her hobbies of working with stained glass. Denny loved the out-of-doors and spent many an hour working in his yard and tending a large garden in the summer. He loved watching football, baseball, and NASCAR racing. He and Marjorie also had the opportunity to attend several NASCAR races in North Carolina and Arizona.
After Marjorie’s passing in 2007, in 2008 Denny sold the family home in Standish and moved to Susanville where he lived at the River Roost Mobile Home Park. In 2012 Denny sold his mobile home and moved to Eagle Lake Village. While at River Roost and Eagle Lake Village Denny made many new friends who became cherished people in his life right up until the end.
Denny is survived by his son Terry (Dianne) of Troutman, North Carolina; his daughter Denise Wait (Gene) of Reno, Nevada, his sister Joann Uptegrove (Dick) of Susanville, California, his grandson Jimmy of Red Bluff, California, and Jimmy’s daughters Karsyn and Kennedy of North Carolina, his granddaughter Rachelle Sanders (Jesse) and their children Sienna and Daylen, of Troutman, North Carolina, by many nieces and nephews and their families, and by many friends who he considered family.
Memorial services for Denny Elledge will be held on Friday, November 20, 2015, at 1:00 o’clock in the afternoon at Walton’s Colonial Mortuary in Susanville, California, with burial to follow in the family plot at the Janesville Cemetery.
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