Carmen Anthony Dentino

Carmen “Pep” Dentino, aged 90, of Las Vegas, died on November 7, 2021, after a brief illness. He was born on August 1, 1931, in Camden, NJ, to parents Antonio and Bambina, he was one of 10 children. Quiet by nature and fiercely intelligent, he took in everything around him and was a lifelong lover of facts.

Carmen enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1951 and served in the Korean War, stationed first in Texas, then in Thule, Greenland, where he served as part of the Food Service Squadron. After the war, he moved with his brother, Frank, to Nevada, where they had many adventures in the years when Las Vegas was in development. Carmen, or “Pep” as he was also known, always loved food, learned to cook from his mother, honed his skills in the service, and was proud to have been a professional chef his entire adult life, retiring after many years from the Venetian Restaurant.

Growing up in the Great Depression, he learned how to be resourceful, get by with very little, and could make an entire meal out of a few simple ingredients. He loved traveling within the US, often fondly recalling drives up and down the Pacific Coast Highway and throughout California. Though born and raised in NJ, he had called Las Vegas his home after living here for over 55 years. Carmen is preceded in death by his parents, his 8 brothers: Richard, Querino, Orlando, Lawrence, Frank, Albert, Raymond, and Guilio, and his sister, Jeanette. He is survived by his niece, Donna, her husband, Michael, and their children Jordan and Calvin, of Cherry Hill, NJ.

Internment will take place at Southern Nevada Veteran’s Cemetery in Boulder City on Dec. 17, 2021 at 1:20pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Nevada.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmcheyenne.com for the Dentino family.