Dennis Zuiker

Dennis Michael Zuiker was born on February 14, 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, the fourth of nine children born to Clarice Martcie and Francis Zuiker. He died on November 14, 2025 due to complications from cognitive decline.

Dennis attended school in Roseland, IL through high school. He graduated from Roosevelt University in Chicago with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology in 1971. After that he volunteered in the VISTA program with a one-year stay in Nulato, Alaska working with Indigenous People in building a dam. He then attended and graduated from Governor’s State University in Chicago with a Master’s Degree in Social Work in 1975. Years later, he obtained a second Master’s Degree in Telecommunications from the University of Denver.

He moved to California in 1976 to volunteer in a political campaign for a friend running for congress. During that time, he met the love of his life, Elaine Rutter. After the campaign, he was a social worker in Los Angeles. Dennis and Elaine were married on September 3, 1977, in Redondo Beach, California and had their first two children, Jennifer and Justin in California. In 1981, the family moved to Boulder, Colorado where they added a third child, John, in 1983. Dennis began a career in computer operations with Nutri Books in Denver and was employed by them for 20 years. His favorite job by far was working as a school bus driver for the Boulder Valley School District, starting in 2006. He retired in 2019.

Dennis was an active member of Sacred Heart of Mary Parish in Boulder and over the years served in many different ministries. He never met a stranger and enjoyed making people smile and laugh. He was the ultimate volunteer, always offering to help others, no matter the task. For several years, he helped at Intercambio, a program to help Spanish-speaking people learn English. He also volunteered as a Victim Advocate for the Boulder Police Department from 2021 through May 2025 when his health began to decline. 

Dennis was affectionately called “Pops” by his family and was well loved by his wife, children, and grandchildren. He will be missed immensely and is survived by his spouse, Elaine, and their children, Jennifer (Zach), Justin (Lauren) and John (Kelly), and five grandchildren, Jackson, John Paul, Libby, Anna and Andrew. He is also survived by his siblings Judy Donovan, Joe Zuiker, Larry Zuiker, Susan Rheinheimer, John Zuiker, Terry Zuiker, Michael Zuiker and Linda Kalinowski. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to provide access to nutritious meals for food insecure individuals at Bridge House (boulderbridgehouse.org).