It is my sad duty to inform you that my great friend, Denny Anspach, passed away today, September 20, 2020.  Denny was a man of great accomplishments, not only within our hobby of prototype and model railroading, but also in other areas.  But to me his greatest attribute was his friendship and mentoring – which I will try to “pay forward” until we meet again.  I was often impressed by the fact that he knew so many great individuals.  I gradually learned that Denny had a tremendous ability to focus on a person’s best traits, no matter who they were.  All people are great and highly accomplished in some way, and Denny always spoke of a person’s finest character.

I will miss him tremendously.

-Jeff Aley

Denny with Bruce Smith from Cocoa Beach 2015.  Always with a story to share.

He will be greatly missed.

Steve Hile

Sorry to hear this. I was privileged to be a guest in the Anspach homes in both Sacramento and Okoboji (his summer home in Iowa). And I had Denny as a guest in two different homes to see progress on my Iowa Central layout. We shared mutual interests in Iowa railroads and the Fairmont Motor Co. and often shared notes through the years on related modeling and research projects. I fondly remember Denny giving me a private tour of the backshops of the California State Railroad Museum, while regaling me with stories of its creation and building. He rode the SP cab forward as it was moved into position while the museum was being built. Denny also introduced me to Ellen in the library who assisted me with a research project, and the curator Wyatt. Both connections I treasured. I will truly his him.

Jeff,

Thanks for reporting this extremely sad news.  I am extremely sad to receive it.

Simply put, Denny was a great man, a practitioner in real life of a very difficult profession, and in his recreational life, he utilized the empathetic skills as powerfully as he did in his medical practice.  Never one to criticize another’s work, on the other hand, he would answer a question as well as anyone in this hobby could, from electronics to detailing to the history of a car or locomotive.

I have to add that he influenced some of the most personal decisions of my life, far from the hobby aspect, and I have always been thankful for the counsel he provide in a very tough time for me.

Schuyler

Another huge void left by a great man.

May God bless him and comfort his family.

Jeff and all,

There are not enough words to describe what Denny meant to both my wife and I.  Jeff, I could not  have said it any better.

Looking back,

Denny liked to build wood kits and he was a master at it.  Once I knew this I purchased some “golden oldies” at train shows and sent them to him to enjoy.  Then I found a wood kit I wanted to keep.  It was partly built, no remaining parts, no instructions or manufacturer information.  I sent it to Denny and asked if he would complete it figuring he had a stash of vintage detail parts.  The car came back beautifully done along with a history of the model as well and the manufacturer.  I will always think of Denny when I see that car. 

A visit to Denny’s layout was a pleasure.  Many if not most of his cars were from wood and metal kits.  They were so well done you would not recognize this until he shared the sources of the models.

Denny was meticulous about his fine brass collector locomotives.   They had to run perfectly before he would install DCC and sound.  His painting was masterful also.

I could go on and on.  Seeing him twice per year was not often enough.  He always had more to share.  Denny was Denny and that was just fine with me.

Mont