Dennis Faye Jennings, a loving and cherished friend, brother, and uncle passed away peacefully at the age of 79 on February 15, 2026 in Oregon after battling health challenges.
Born on June 26, 1946, in Oakland, California, Dennis spent his youth in Palestine, Illinois with his mother, Retha (McDaniel) Jennings, father Benjamin Fay Jennings and siblings James, Robert and Martrene. His life was a testament of kindness and care. His adult journey began at Eastern Illinois University, earning a B.S. in English, History and Latin and went on to earn a M.Div focused on Urban Community Ministry at the Garrett Theological Seminary at Northwestern University.
After graduate school, his work involved travel across the country and around the world. He worked on several Human Development Projects with the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA) in the US and abroad - and lived and worked in India for 3 years. As staff of ICA he helped create and build the Technology of Participation(ToP) facilitation training system in the US. After leaving the staff in 2006, Dennis continued to facilitate and train ToP methods - but this time he started his own business in association with his dear friend and colleague Judy Weddle. For 20 years their practice provided clear guidance to groups in organizations, businesses and communities. They worked in the USA, France, Scotland, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia.
Dennis lived in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood for 40+ years and was a cherished member of the GreenRise intentional living community. He loved walking to get coffee and pastries in the local bakeries on Argyle Street and to Wrigley Field to have a dog at Byron’s then watch his beloved Cubbies.
A new chapter was just unfolding for Dennis when he decided to make the move to Lincoln City, Oregon in December of 2025. It was quite a departure from his community life in Chicago for 40 years, and he was excited about it. His time in Oregon was tragically short lived.
Dennis was renowned for his inherently kind disposition, mellow voice and infectious warmth that created a “Mr. Rogers” sense of safety wherever he would go. While our hearts ache with his absence, we will remember him not with sorrow, but with his perfectly delivered wit and humor and kind heart. Dennis knew how to intuitively share the smallest thoughtful action, gift, or comment that would just make peoples’ day. We will remember the many memories of his clear facilitation and patient training, connections to friends and neighbors, and generous contributions to communities.
Family and friends of Dennis are invited to attend a virtual memorial service at 10:00 - 12:00 CT April 4th for a virtual memorial about a life well lived and to share our memories and stories. An in person gathering will take place at ICA GreenRise in Chicago on April 11th. You can RSVP to either here . You can also leave memories on a shared board here.
Dennis’ final contributions to the ToP Network were to help assure others continue learning, teaching and practicing the ToP Facilitation and Planning Methods that he loved and with which he was so grounded. In lieu of flowers, we believe Dennis would have liked any memorial contributions go to the Erness Wright-Irvin Scholarship Fund - something he worked on a lot in the past few years. Learn more about the fund here.
We want to thank his caregivers and med techs at Life Care Center McMinnville, Oregon for taking such good care of him and showing him so much affection as he struggled through his many health challenges.