Cement worker’s grandkids were ‘apple of his eye’
Earl Denbow Jr. loved being a grandfather.
Before Parkinson’s and kidney disease caused him to move into Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County a couple of years ago, Mr. Denbow lived about two minutes away from his daughter, Keri Boyer, son-in-law Joseph, and their two sons Anthony, 14, and Jonathan, 11.
That allowed him to bond with his grandchildren, and help get them on and off the school bus every day.
“They were definitely the apple of his eye,” Ms. Boyer said Tuesday. “They could do no wrong when they were around their pap. He was especially close to my youngest one. They were buddies.”
Mr. Denbow, 73, of Patterson, died of COVID-19 at the Brighton center April 1. Before that, he was, as his daughter called him, “a big kid.”
The oldest of three at his childhood home in Coraopolis, Mr. Denbow took an early interest in cars and racing before joining the Army during the Vietnam War. He served in Germany, then returned home and started working at the same Neville Island cement plant as his father.
He put in more than 40 years there before retiring in 2015. Along the way, he always tried to find fun things to do with his daughter. Trips to Disney World, local festivals and amusement parks were some of the highlights. He continued to serve his country in the National Guard as well and enjoyed the camaraderie with his unit.
Beyond that, Mr. Denbow did not have a ton of hobbies. He loved the Steelers and usually went to games with Mr. Boyer about once a year, typically coinciding with his birthday around the holidays. He was also quite the beer connoisseur, with a particular fondness for India pale ales.
Above all, though, Mr. Denbow really just liked to laugh.
“He would always tell really silly, corny jokes,” said Ms. Boyer, who Mr. Denbow called “Stinky” throughout his life because of his disdain for changing her dirty diapers as a baby. “I have a picture of him dressed up as a leprechaun from St. Patrick’s Day at a restaurant that a waitress took. That’s really who he was at heart.”
In his later years, Mr.
Denbow lost his wife, Debra, and sister, Bonnie Cardimen. Ms. Boyer said Debra’s 2014 death in particular took a toll on him, as “she was his world.”
He was known to make the rounds at a few Chippewa restaurants in the intervening years, to the point that he became friends with some of their workers.
Before his illness, Ms. Boyer said she felt her dad was doing OK physically, though she thought she had noticed the Parkinson’s progressing. She doesn’t think he was aware of the virus that took his life in the end. Ms. Boyer had not seen him since March 7 because of the lockdown at the nursing home, and subsequent conversations about it only confused him, as he could not understand why his daughter wasn’t visiting.
The most difficult part of the experience for Ms. Boyer and her family has been the inability to receive mourners for traditional funeral services because of the pandemic. Only the Boyers, Mr. Denbow’s brother, Ronald, and his wife were permitted for his viewing last week.
“There were no flowers in the funeral home,” Ms. Boyer said. “There was nothing. It was just my dad’s casket, the six of us, and that was it.”
Having now been touched by the disease that’s sweeping the globe, Ms. Boyer added that she hopes others will heed safety guidelines and stay home if they are able.
As for Mr. Denbow’s grandchildren, they’re still processing the loss. Their mother said Anthony, the older sibling, understands the situation and was more worried about her. It has, however, been a new experience for younger brother Jonathan.
“This is his first loss,” Ms. Boyer said. “So I think he took it worse.”