Over the fourth of July, I lost a great friend and one time co worker. The legendary Dennis Pusateri. who died in a Des Moines hospital Monday. He was 53.
We first got together working the late night shift at NCS in 1985 processing Pell Grants. He was a one of a kind, wore very long black hair and had a hippie mustache. And had perhaps the most barbed sense of humor, even more so than myself. We spent four years there trading music, cracking bad jokes and giving Tim Robinson, our senior at the time a rub here and there. Once we moved over to 2nd shift, we would head over to Maxie's on a friday night and close it down before driving back home. I remember him best for calling Robinson Timmy, and Tim would get pissed and saying don't call me that. Dennis said "Well I could call you something else but you wouldn't like that"
I told Dennis ya know it's going make him mad, Dennis would say Yeh I know, but I enjoy doing that just to piss him off. That's the Dennis I know.
We kinda lost track of each other in the 90s but while shopping at Save A Lot one day, I heard a distinctive voice behind me saying "oh don't say Hi then" and then I turned around and there was Dennis with a big smile on his face. The dude remembered me! And we chatted for a bit and catched up on the latest and talk tunes.
Later on, Dennis would be a permanent fixture at Hy Vee on Wilson Ave in the new decade and when I did see him in around 2008 he actually had short hair but he eventually grew it all out, even though he was mostly gray. Probably had something to do with ex wives and kids. He also had to deal with things in life, his brother was murdered in the John's Grocery Parking Lot around 1988 or 1989 and the killer was never found. I got to meet his brother once and he was just like Dennis, good natured and a good person.
I'd never would have known about Dennis' passing if it wasn't for Nicole talking about somebody she knew passing in the obits in the paper and while scrolling down came across Dennis' name before Betty Swearingen, mother to another good friend of mine Mike. I thought it was a joke, so I made a trip up to Hy Vee to see if Dennis' bike was outside. It wasn't. Although the sun was shining, there was a rain cloud that opened up and poured around and I saw a big rainbow above the funeral home to where Dennis will be there before his final destination.
I took a long lunch, went to a new Mexican restaurant and had some great Mole El Pollo in Dennis' honor. Wished he could have been there to enjoy the food but I think he'd over at Hy Vee and bullshitting with the regulars. I also did a lotta weeping on the way home, leaving work early as well.
This does hurt. Hard to believe that I last saw him three weeks ago when I went up to Hy Vee to get some chinese food and I saw him walking out to his motorcycle, going on the way home and waved and thought maybe the next time I'll chat with him. Only to realize that there won't be no next time.
I think out of all the co workers that I knew in the NCS Pell Years, Dennis was my closest friend. He'd never said anything bad about anybody that I don't know about (although he did have some choice words for some judges in a letter to the editor edition of The Gazette). In the wide scope of life, Dennis remains one of my top five friends that I kept in touch and it's a shame that I'll never get to hear him make bad jokes or talk about the days of Pell at NCS. There's not much about him in the obit, just a line of two of where visitation will be at and perhaps maybe a bigger obit.
53 years isn't a long time if you think about it. He's three years older than me but I think he lived a full life and made with the good while putting up with the bad and the floods of 2008 which destroyed his home but he still kept a full positive view on life and everytime I seen him, he'd had that shit eating smile and "How the hell are you" greeting. He may not have been, but I considered him my brother in arms and I love the man.
Ride on Dennis. I'll miss you, Old Hippie.
http://www.broshchapel.com/sitemaker/memsol.cgi?page=profile§ion=info&user_id=413161
Dennis Anthony Pusateri “Krax,” 53, died Monday, July 4, 2011, at the Des Moines VA Health Care System. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Brosh Chapel in Cedar Rapids, located at 2121 Bowling St. SW. A memorial mass will be held at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Private family inurnment will be held in St. John Cemetery.
Dennis was born Feb. 18, 1958, in Cedar Rapids, the son of Francis and Roszanna (Fields) Pusateri. He served in the United States Marine Corps. Dennis was an over-the-road truck driver for many years.
His passion was Harley Davidsons, biking and his grandchildren. He was a past member of the Chosen Few.
Dennis is survived by his mother, Roszanna Pusateri; his children, Melissa (Jeremy) Thomas, Anthony Bridgeman and Tawnee Pusateri; grandchildren, Shelby, Jeremy Jr. and Tristan Thomas; and sisters, Monica Burkhart and Maribelle Thompson, all of Cedar Rapids.
Dennis was preceded in death by a brother, Matthew Pusateri; and his father, Francis Pusateri.
Memorials may be directed to the family at 1207 Fifth Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, IA 52403.
PS: I think the best way to describe the life and legacy of Dennis would be The Byrds' Ballad Of Easy Rider. After dedicating the song to him via Facebook, it's unlikely I will ever hear this song the same way again and probably end up tearing up.
And all he wanted
Was to be free
And that's the way
It turned out to be
