As Dennis would have said, “So long and thanks for all the laughs.”
Dennis Herrick, 81, died April 5, 2024, at the VA Hospital in Albuquerque, N. M.
Former publisher of The SUN and a Vietnam War combat infantry veteran, he was author of 14 books.
He married Beatrice Wanhapiha Nov. 3, 1967. They celebrated their 56th anniversary in November.
He was born Oct. 24, 1942, at Jackson, Mich.. He received a B.A. degree from Marquette University in 1964 and the M.A. degree in journalism from the University of Iowa in 1998.
A 1968 draftee into the U.S. Army, Dennis was top graduate of his basic training company, and he was honor graduate of his scout dog training class.
He served in the Vietnam War in 1969 as an infantryman and scout dog handler with the 1st Cavalry Division, walking the front point position with his trained dog on single-file infantry patrols through jungle. His military awards include two Vietnam Service medals, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, and the American Spirit Honor Medal.
He was a reporter for The Flint (Mich.) Journal for 10 years and also editor of a weekly Michigan newspaper for a year. In 1977-1985 he was chief of staff for a Michigan congressman in Washington, D.C.
In 1985 he and his wife bought the weekly newspaper, The SUN, and a shopper, The SUNlight. They owned the publications for 12 years until selling in 1997. In 2001 he and his wife moved to the Albuquerque area, and he taught for 10 years on the full-time faculty at the University of New Mexico.
Dennis and Beatrice attended St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church in Albuquerque.
He leaves his wife Beatrice of Albuquerque; two sons, Michael W. Herrick of Albuquerque and also Alec S. H. Laughlin of Tucson, Ariz.; and five grandchildren: Adeo, Sage, Athan, Ellis, and Felix. He was preceded by his parents, a brother, and a sister. His ashes will be buried in Santa Fe National Cemetery.
Dennis persevered with severe breathing problems in his final two decades because of the hereditary lung disease Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, complicated by exposure to Agent Orange herbicide in the Vietnam War.