Dennis Michael Linskey

Dennis M. Linskey, 75, of Arlington, Virginia, passed away at his home on August 12, 2022, from pancreatic cancer. Born February 26, 1947, in Queens, New York he was the oldest child of Joseph and Muriel Linskey. Shortly after graduating from SUNY Oswego, Dennis voluntarily enlisted in the United States Army, where he served honorably in the Army Corps of Engineers in South Vietnam. Upon his return to New York City, Dennis worked as an underwriter for Continental Insurance Company as he continued his graduate studies in international affairs at the New School for Social Research. On his birthday in 1972, Dennis met the love of his life and future wife Mary Stuart Linskey. They were married two years later. In 1974, Dennis was accepted into the Foreign Service, where he continued his lifelong commitment to public service, and advancing the interests of the United States. Shortly thereafter, Dennis and Mary began their life of travel and adventure when they embarked on their first foreign assignment spending two wonderful years in the Ivory Coast, where Dennis was a Budget and Fiscal Officer at the United States Embassy. Returning to the United States in 1977, Mary and Dennis settled in Arlington, Virginia, and had two children, Michael and Christine. Dennis’ wife, children, and eventual grandson William were the lights of his life. In 1981, Dennis started the first of two assignments in the State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, serving as an analyst on Western Africa. In 1983, Dennis and Mary took their growing family abroad, where Dennis was a Political Officer at the United States Embassy in Mexico City, Mexico. Upon their return to Arlington in 1986, Dennis was the Deputy Director of the Office of Mexican Affairs at the Department of State. In 1991, Dennis became the Chief of the Global Affairs Division of the Bureau of International Narcotics Matters, where he oversaw U.S. counter-narcotics relations with Western Europe and the former Soviet Union, and helped negotiate an international treaty allowing for compassionate cannabis use for those with Cancer. The Linskey family soon moved again as Dennis became the Political Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Dennis was the Ambassador’s principal advisor on political issues. When returning stateside, Dennis became the Chief of the Western and Southern Africa Division for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. In this role, Dennis supervised all-source intelligence on 27 African nations, and provided critical analytical support to various U.N. Peacekeeping efforts in Africa. In 1998, Dennis was the Deputy Special Coordinator for Haiti when he managed the operations of the inter-agency taskforce overseeing U.S. policy and operations in Haiti following the U.S. led multinational intervention. Dennis’ final assignment at the State Department was as the Coordinator for U.S. Mexico Border Affairs, where, among other things, he chaired numerous bi-national taskforces with the Department of Homeland Security focused on securing the U.S. Mexico border without impeding the flow of trade. After his retirement from the State Department in 2004, Dennis became the President and Founder of Transboundary Solutions LLC, which helped local governments and private sector businesses build border crossings to enhance international trade. While Dennis was passionate about his work, it always took a back seat to the true joy in his life, his family. This joy only grew with the birth of his first grandchild in 2016. Dennis is survived by his wife Mary, his children Michael and Christine, his son-in-law Bryan, and grandson William. A visitation will be held at Murphy Funeral Home in Arlington Wednesday, August 17th from 3PM-7PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Thursday, August 18th at 10 AM at St. Ann Roman Catholic Church, followed by burial at Columbia Gardens Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.