Obituaries

NOJONEN, Dennis Jack Matti

Dennis Jack Matti Nojonen passed away suddenly and unexpectedly with Michele, his wife of 34 years by his side on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at the age of 55. He is also survived by his son Ryan (Andrea Thumm) and their soon to be born child; daughter Rachel (Paul Johnson) and her children Travis and Kohen; daughter Shelly (Stefan McKee); precious fur babies Rox, Molly, Lily and Roscoe; his mother Nancy Nojonen; sister Debbie Doyle (Jim) and her son Matthew (Michelle) Moffat and their son Lucas; sister Wendy Bisignano (Pio) and their children Dylan and Jennifer; parents-in- law William and Fleurette Bruni as well as his extended family, many dear friends and colleagues. He was predeceased by his father Matti Nojonen and his fur babies Kemo, Fritz, Meko and Wile.
Dennis was born on May 10, 1962 in Port Arthur, Ontario. He grew up the only son and middle child of Matti and Nancy Nojonen. Along with his sisters, Debbie and Wendy, fishing and camping were a big part of his younger years, especially at Paul Lake where he helped build the sauna and the camp itself. In grade 8 he was first exposed to woodworking, then he entered into a trades program at Gron Morgan High School but instead received an apprenticeship in cabinet making at Rizzos Cabinet Shop. From there he went into Trade School to further his carpentry career at Confederation College. He became a member of the Carpenter and Joiners Union, Local 1669, and started to work on numerous projects in and around Thunder Bay. In 1983, during his 3rd year apprenticeship, he met the love of his life, Michele Bruni, and two years later they became husband and wife. After he obtained his journeyman carpentry ticket, they relocated to St. Catherines, Ontario, where they became parents to their first child Ryan in 1988. During their first year as parents, Dennis was also able to obtain his interprovincial Red Seal ticket and a year later they moved to Langley. This is where they welcomed their second and third children, Rachel and Shelly. After gaining much experience working the trade, which now consisted of residential, industrial and commercial construction, they made the decision to move to the beautiful Shuswap lake area. This is where Dennis started his own custom home building company. After the youngest of the three children entered school, they relocated again to Calgary, where Dennis continued to create dreams for many different people. But the yearn to get back to BC was there and in 2003, Dennis and Michele made the final decision to move to Kelowna, a place that immediately felt like home. Dennis left the tools behind and started work building custom homes in Kelowna, which lead him to eventually manage the construction of a 30 unit apartment building. He dedicated the last 15 years to becoming one of the finest project managers the company would ever know. Dennis was well respected and loved by all who met him, as he always went above and beyond to make sure that everyone had the best of everything, even if that meant sacrificing his own self in the process. He had a natural ability to always bring the good out of any situation. His family has always been his number one priority. Sunday evenings the whole family would gather and catch up after everyone

Link: www.springfieldfuneralhome.com

Condolence Messages

Mar 28, 2018
Michele, so sorry to hear of Dennis passing, it meant so much to me when you both popped out to Lake Country to visit, best wishes to all, Gordon Skene.
Mar 28, 2018
So sorry to hear the passing of Dennis. He had such professionalism in the industry. Sincere condolences to the family.

Rod Armour
Mar 27, 2018
Dear Michele and Family,

I am so sorry for your loss. I will miss Dennis and the camaraderie we shared in the building industry and his legacy of friendship, sincerity, humor and professionalism - something we all can learn from. Wishing you all peace and strength during this very difficult time.

Sincerest Condolences

David Pfuetzner
Mar 27, 2018
Michele and family....I was shocked and deeply saddened when I heard about Dennis. I will miss him and I will remember how he treated people with respect and still got the job done. I considered him a good friend. He will never be forgotten. Bob Murrant
Mar 27, 2018
Michele and family,

So very sorry to hear of your loss! My thoughts are with you.

Jacquie Mullens
Mar 27, 2018
Michele and family,

We are so very sorry for your loss.

You are in our thoughts and prayers.

Randy & Bonnie deVries
Mar 26, 2018
I worked with Dennis on many projects. Including Denali and Tower Ranch. He was great to work with. I will miss his positive outlook, great sense of humour and the way he treated the sub trades. He spoke often of Michele, Ryan, Rachel, and Shelly.

Steve SK Form and Finish
Mar 26, 2018
Michele and family,

I'm so sorry to hear of Dennis's passing. I had the pleasure of dealing with him for many years through work and he had a heart of gold and was my favorite site super.

I'm glad I ran into you guys before christmas and we had a good chat. He was a great guy.

Thinking of you,

Treko Jackson
Mar 26, 2018
Dennis was a special guy. He had a way of making work fun when you where around him. Truly one of a kind and will be deeply missed by a lot of people who got to know him.My sincere condolences to his family.

Dean Richmond.