Deni was truly a people person, superb at making and nurturing friends. She was also an excellent cook, with a large repertoire of accumulated recipes, and a particular interest in chinese cooking. Coupling those with her considerable planning and organizing skills, she hosted and participated in many memorable parties with our friends.

Starting around 1982, one of the highlights of our year was an open-garden party, always with several days of help from a very long-time friend, Linda Nordenberg (even after Linda moved to Chicago IL). Refreshments started with snacks for our visitors. Over the years the snacks evolved into sit-down dinners, culminating in a chicken curry dinner for 80 guests!