Denny Blair Umphreys

Denny Blair Umphreys, 74, of Bonanza, Oregon passed away on Monday, January 12th after a long illness from a stroke suffered in 2024.

Born April 10th, 1951, in San Francisco to Thomas and Beverly Umphreys, Denny was the oldest of four siblings, Steve, Cindy McKinney and Thomas Jr.

Denny is survived by his loving wife of 17 years, Susan Cavanaugh, and three children, Heather, Jasmine, and Denny Jr, and five grandchildren, Faith, Daniel, Luke, Lily, and Sophia, and step-grandchild, Taliyah.

Denny was a graduate of Terra Linda High School and College of Marin. He and Susan lived in Novato before building a beautiful home in the woods of Southern Oregon in 2020. In addition to Oregon and Marin, Denny was a resident of Hawaii, Reno, and Florida.

Known for his wide-ranging interests and creative background, and for chasing his dreams, Denny was a man with big ideas, a sense of adventure, and the “gift of gab”. Denny was affectionately described as “charismatic” by close friends.

In 1977, Denny co-founded Marin Hot Tub Systems. As a young musician, Denny played a classic cherrywood Gibson guitar and harmonica at events and friends’ weddings.

While living in Hawaii, Denny became an avid windsurfer and represented San Francisco-based Winterland Productions by providing marketing support for Sail America competing in the 1987 America’s Cup. He furthered his marketing business under the umbrella of Fever Designs.

In Reno, Denny hosted a blues radio show as a disc jockey. He was a huge ice hockey fan and played semi-pro hockey for the Reno Aces and rode in the Virginia City Grand Prix off-road motorcycle race.

Moving into Tampa, he owned a graphic design company, Fever Designs, that helped local businesses with branding, merchandise, and building a strong online presence. Devoted father, he never missed a single day of lunch with his son, and coached the Junior Mites ice hockey team for many years, winning multiple state junior championships.

His family and friends will deeply miss him as he will be remembered as a great coach and mentor, an outstanding father and a loyal friend, providing guidance to those he met and always putting their needs first.

Please post your remembrances on Legacy.com. Donations made to Heart of Hospice Foundation in Klamath Falls (https://heartofhospicefoundationtrio.com).

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