Dennis James Masel

Artist, photographer, epicurean, possessing an insatiable appetite for history and literature, faithful and loving husband, devoted father. Dennis James Masel passed peacefully on July 13, 2024, with his loving wife of 58 years, Francie, by his side. 

Dennis was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on August 20th, 1944, to Louise and Joseph Masel. Possessed with wanderlust and a desire to see the world, Dennis enlisted in the Navy and was a member of the inaugural crew on the USS Enterprise for its maiden voyage and deployment. This experience forged a lifelong love of the United States Navy, ships, and military history. 

Upon receiving his honorable discharge, Dennis returned to Reading where he met the love of his life and future wife, Mary Frances (Francie). It was love at first sight and Francie was his muse throughout art school; often being the subject of his art and photography. Theirs is a deep and devoted love that lasted through his life. 

Newly married and with the arrival of their first son, Dennis and Francie looked westward and moved to Denver, Colorado where they would raise their family. 

Dennis entered and graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art as a student and started his career as a graphic designer, primarily with the Colorado Department of Highways, where he helped chart and graph the construction of the highways that are taken for granted by travelers and skiers today. 

Dennis would continue his liberal arts studies at the University of Colorado earning both a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Humanities degree. He later joined his alma mater the Colorado Institute of Art, renamed The Art Institute of Colorado, as faculty, becoming one of their most esteemed and beloved professors. 

A polymath with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and a desire to share that with his students. Dennis loved puzzles, magic tricks and games and delighted in sharing this love with his family and friends. Most of all, he loved laughter and seeing the smiles of his loved ones while he regaled them with stories and jokes. 

Dennis was a man who lived his life simply but was not a simple man. A man whose warm smile, hearty and gut-felt laugh, quickness with a joke or silly trick to amuse children immediately endeared him to others and lit up a room. Dennis loved all these things and more. Whether it was playing Santa for the children at the company holiday party or speaking Spanish with an Italian accent. Dennis loved life. And his family. He will be sorely missed. 

Dennis is survived by his wife Mary Frances; sons Dennis Patrick (Jeanne) and Joseph Alexander (Christy); grandchildren Lilianna, Kazimir, Vladimir and Sadie; sister Domonica Velez and sister-in-law Kathleen (Randolph) Clifford.

In lieu of flowers, please consider Mass cards or donations to the Alzheimer’s Association. Dennis’s family would like to thank the compassionate caregivers at Lincoln Heights Assisted Living and Hospice of the Valley, both of Phoenix, Arizona.

 “There are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they have gone, their light remains.”  Anonymous

A visitation will be held on Monday, July 22, 2024 from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. with a rosary to be recited at 6:30 p.m. at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Road in Phoenix, Arizona. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, July 23, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mary's Basilica, 231 N. 3rd Street, Phoenix, Arizona. A Catholic Rite of Committal will be held on Tuesday September 10, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetary, 12801 West 44th Avenue, Wheat Ridge, Colorado.