Dennis Gale Cuendet

A resident of Baton Rouge, he passed away after a long battle with cancer at 11:46 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2010, at Promise Rehabilitation Center, with his wife, Anna, by his side. He was born March 4, 1937, in Monett, Mo., where he grew up on a farm of which he carried fond childhood memories. He received a degree in psychology from the University of Arkansas in 1959. He attended dental school at Washington University in St Louis, Mo., graduating cum laude in 1963. During those years he was inducted into Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honorary Dental Society. He then went to serve his country as a captain in the U.S. Army dental corps in Italy from 1963 to 1966. It was there that he met his wife, Anna Scalabrini, and their son, Daniel, was born. After returning to the United States, he went to graduate school specializing in orthodontics once again at Washington University, graduating in 1968. The Cuendet family moved to Baton Rouge in 1968, at which time he started his orthodontic practice. He was a meticulous orthodontist and one of his greatest pleasures in life was getting good results on his patients. Denny was an avid snow skier. He and Anna spent a lot of time in Colorado pursuing the sport that they loved. He was also an avid autocross racer, actively competing in events and winning several championships. Denny spent a lot of time with a wrench in his hand working on and fine tuning one of the many racing cars that he owned. He was a member of Sigma Nu fraternity, the American Dental Association, Louisiana Dental Association, East Baton Rouge Parish Dental Society, Greater Baton Rouge Area Dental Society, American Association of Orthodontists, American Academy of Orthodontics, Southern Society of Orthodontics, National Rifle Association, Porsche Club of America, Mercedes-Benz Club of America and Sports Car Club of America. He is survived by his wife, Anna V. Cuendet, of Baton Rouge; their son, Daniel B. Cuendet, his wife, Mechelle, and her son, Brady. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ami and Freda Cuendet. A wake will be held at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government St., on Monday, Dec. 20, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Honorary pallbearers are Dr. T.C. Morgan, Dr. Kyle Kennedy, Dr. R.M. Branstetter, Dr. Robert Westerman, Dr. Earl Turner, Dr. Doug Watanabe, Eduardo Jenkins, Ron Aker, Greg Hampton, Tom Miller, Mike Eggers, Stephen Jenkins and Bill Vines. A private ceremony will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to Cancer Services of Baton Rouge.