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Dennis J. Tente Obituary

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Dennis J. Tente

Wakefield, RI

August 18, 1947 - January 29, 2023

Dennis J. Tente Obituary

Dennis Joseph Tente, beloved husband, father, brother, and dear friend to an exclusive group of beer drinking buddies, died Sunday, January 29th. He was 75 years old.


A rabid New England Patriots fan and season ticket holder for over 30-years, Dennis loved Sundays in Foxborough with his wife, sons, daughter or whomever had the privilege of joining him. One of the greatest days of his life was attending Super Bowl XLIX with his wife in Arizona (thanks Neil & Debbie); lingering in the stadium for over an hour after Malcolm Butler’s legendary interception, to soak it all in.


Dennis was born in 1947 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island to Palmeda and Antonio Tente. His fondest childhood memories were playing baseball at El Gasco Field with the Pawtucket Boys Club and throwing two no-hitters for Clifford Motors, one of which would’ve been a perfect game if Joe Flinkfelt hadn’t bobbled a ground ball.


He attended St. Raphael Academy and earned a full ROTC scholarship to the University of Nebraska, where he graduated with a degree in Business in 1970. After graduation, he deployed with the Navy, cruising to ports all over the world and trying to intercept a Russian submarine near the Arctic Circle, earning his Blue Nose Certificate as a result. He retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve having reached the rank of Captain.


Later, Dennis returned to the University of Nebraska for Law School, and eventually moved back to Rhode Island. He met the love of his life, Jo-Ann Dolan, at the Engine Company in 1978, before or after the epic blizzard, depending on which one of them was telling the story… They married two-years later and had three children, Jillian, Matthew, and Jeffrey.


After working as an Associate for several years, Dennis started his own law practice in 1980, with his longtime partner, John Colletti, joining a year later. He maintained life-long friendships with his Thursday night crew that included Norm, Brian and the occasional pop-in from his best man, Frank McCabe. The ritual so steady, they outlasted several of the bars they frequented.


In addition to his wife and children, Dennis is mourned by his childrens' spouses Michael Smith, Jenna Doolittle, and Kaitlin Tente, his grandchildren Landon and Reagan Smith, and his sister Irene, along with the entire Daniels, Smith, and Dolan clans.


A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Monday, February 6th, 2023, at 10:00 am at Christ the King Church in Kingston. A burial will follow at Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery.

The service will be livestreamed at https://youtube.com/live/Oh1SHcESlKc?feature=share


In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Dennis’ honor to Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology

at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215, who gave him exquisite care during his nearly 2-year battle with cancer.

To share a memory or send a condolence gift, please visit the Official Obituary of Dennis J. Tente hosted by Avery-Storti Funeral Home.

Events

Event information can be found on the Official Obituary of Dennis J. Tente.