Fr. Eugene Dehner (1914-2004)

Father Eugene Dehner passed away September 7, 2004.

Father Eugene was one of the several vocations from the Benedictine-staffed parish in Burlington, Iowa.  He entered the Abbey in 1935 and after ordination earned a doctorate in Biology at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y.  His dissertation was on diving ducks. 

On his return from Cornell he began work in the biology department of St. Benedict’s College with Father Hubert Blocker and served in that position for 38 years.  He was active in professional societies and was once chaplain of the National Federation of Catholic College Students.  Father Eugene also was a college prefect and did weekend supply in many parishes. 

No doubt a book of some length could be devoted to Father Eugene’s colorful life.  He himself did write a life in his later years in great detail.  He had a way of coining expressions, for example:  bookcionary = dictionary; gravelspooks = sandwich!  A greeting, “How’s your liver?” to which the proper response was “Still secreting bile.”  Often he would come to the TV room in the middle of a game and ask, “Is there a game on?” and that followed by “What’s the score?”  These examples merely touch the surface.  He would at haustus drink two beers, one for each kidney. 

Father Eugene was a thorough teacher and his name on a letter of recommendation for medical or dental school almost guaranteed acceptance.  His students remembered him fondly and frequently visited him.  

Father Eugene was a faithful, though sometimes tardy, correspondent.  Even donation requests received  “monk-sized” donations from his small monastic budget.  One can feature him entering heaven’s gates and asking of St. Peter, “Is this heaven?”