Dennis Ray Koenemann
Dennis Ray Koenemann, age 83, went home to be with the Lord on February 27, 2026 in Saint Louis County, MO. Dennis was born in Freistatt (Pierce City), Missouri, on November 6, 1942 to Alvin and Velma Koeneman. He is survived by his wife, Dianne of Saint Louis County, MO; his son, Chris, of Brooklyn, NY; and his daughter, Elizabeth “Betsy” (Michael) Binz of Saint Louis County, MO. He is survived by numerous extended family and friends.
Dennis began life on a dairy farm in rural Missouri, living among a collection of farms operated by extended family members, the type of place where hand-plucked fried chicken was a Sunday ritual and a high point of the week. He attended Trinity Lutheran school and worked on the family farm. Pushing around cows and growing up of hardy farming lineage gave him the traits to excel as a football lineman at Mount Vernon High School.
He was supposed to take over the family farm, but he had another idea: he put himself through the University of Missouri: Columbia, walking onto the college football team. He, following his older brother, Gary, was among the first generation in the family to earn a degree, in Accounting, Finance, and Business. After graduation, He was stationed with the Army in Bamberg, Germany during the Vietnam War. Upon his return, he worked in the Claims Department for State Farm Insurance in Cape Girardeau, MO. For fun, he became a pilot, and had commercial, multi-engine, and instrument ratings.
In 1972, he met the love of his life, Dianne, who were both pilots in Cape Girardeau. (She too had taken up flying for fun.) In 1973, they were married and started a life together in Cape. They passed many weekends in the air, bouncing from one radar vector to another.
When he was offered a managerial job in the Claims Department in Saint Louis, MO in 1978, he and Dianne moved days before the birth of their son. They found themselves in a big city, with a new baby, in the middle of a blizzard. Betsy followed 17 months later, and the family settled into familial and parochial life in Sappington, MO.
In 1985, Dennis opened a State Farm agency in Town and Country, MO. Dennis and Dianne would run this mom-and-pop agency together for nearly 20 years. Dennis was passionate that either he or Dianne would be at all their kids’ sporting events. One of them made every event. Here we see a hint of the driving purpose of Dennis’s life: to be the best dad possible.
The family’s great hobby, and Dennis’s in particular, was to play golf, at Cherry Hills CC / Country Club of Saint Albans. Dennis and friends, who loved to play quickly, had the first tee time every Saturday. He loved playing golf with his wife and kids, and that passion was passed onto Betsy, who went on to play collegiate golf at Belmont University.
Dennis and Dianne took their entrepreneurial spirit to Real Estate in 2004, where Dianne loved showing property and Dennis excelled at working the contracts. Dennis and Dianne worked side-by-side, spending nearly 24/7 together, for over forty years! In one notable deal of theirs, they brought together 10+ properties near Manchester road, turned them into a collective, and turned the collective into commercial real estate — now the complex with the Des Peres Schnucks. Dennis and Dianne’s real estate work led them to working in International Relocation, where they enjoyed helping clients coming from outside of the country to Saint Louis.
Dennis and Dianne entered Saint Louis as a new world of sorts, each coming from small towns to the city. They loved finding their way together, and they leaned on the assistance of the church (Dennis had converted to Catholicism for Dianne) and friends. A sacrosanct time on Dennis’s calendar was his Saturday morning oblate meetings at Saint Louis Abbey, where his son had become a monk and a priest. He was a homebody, cherishing his time with his family, popular classical songs, late night videos of contemporary farming, his books, and the opportunities to bestow folksy wisdom on others. Dennis wanted to work until he passed and wrote a contract on real estate hours before the emergency surgery on his heart during which he passed.
Visitation: March 9, 12-1 pm at Saint Louis Abbey Church (500 South Mason Rd)
Funeral Mass: March 9, 1 pm at Saint Louis Abbey Church
Celebration of Life to follow at Missouri Athletic Club: West (at 1777 Des Peres Road)
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Operation Smile, here:
Operation Smile
3641 Faculty Boulevard
Virginia Beach, VA 23453