Dennis M. Chalus

Dr. Dennis Chalus died March 5, 2018, at home entrusted to hospice care and being comforted by the presence of his loving family when he passed. A Christian Memorial Service will take place at the Most Precious Blood Catholic Church located at 2250 South Harrison Street, Denver CO, on Tuesday, March 13 at 1:00 pm. Dennis Michael Chalus was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was raised in Sioux Falls, SD and graduated from Cathedral High School in 1958. After graduation, he attended McKennan School of Radiologic Technology and became an X-ray Tech which was not only a livelihood but the stepping stone to medical school with encouragement from the people he worked with. He enrolled in pre-medicine study at the University of South Dakota and USD's Graduate Medical School, transferring to the University of Kansas for his final two years of Med school with his graduation in 1967. After graduation from KU, Denny was commissioned a Captain in the Army and began his medical career at Brooke Army Medical Center in Houston, TX. He continued residency completion in Radiology in Tacoma, WA at Madigan Army Medical Center. He married Sugar (Jane) Schmidt of Marysville, KS in 1968 after meeting her at KU while in medical school. He served at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii before being transferred to Denver and Fitzsimmons for two years before resigning his commission to go into private practice. He joined colleague friends with Metropolitan Radiologists retiring from Diversified Radiology in 2006. Following his retirement, he joined Kaiser Permanente on a part-time basis until 2016. Denny had a distinguished career in Radiology. His expertise in bone Radiology led to a Clinical Associate Professorship at CU Medical School where he enjoyed teaching many residents. He consulted on several complex cases while on the staff of Mercy Hospital, North Suburban Hospital, and Avista Hospital. Following practice mergers, he was also on staff at PSL, St. Joseph's, Rose, Parker, and Platte Valley Hospitals. He was very active in the medical community, serving as a representative for the Colorado Radiology Society and the Colorado Medical Society. He was instrumental in formulating and helping the Colorado Legislature pass malpractice reform and defeat the Corporate Practice of Medicine Act which preserved private practice for hospital' based physicians. Denny's personal interests included his children's activities, travel, golf, hunting, running, tennis, and the Broncos. He had fond memories of Hawaii and loved to return as often as possible. He cherished his friendships with partners, associates, neighbors, and classmates, from all walks of life, and was always providing amazing historical facts of each relationship. He enjoyed being with them and helping them personally and professionally in whatever way he could. His generosity didn't stop with just relationships but included funding medical school scholarships for O'Gorman High School (Cathedral HS, O+G's predecessor) graduates to attend the University of South Dakota. Denny was preceded in death by his parents, Mark and Bertha Chalus, and by his first wife, Sugar. He is survived by their three children, daughters, Renee Fichtl, Aimee Fitzhugh and son, Mark Chalus, and four grandchildren, Mallory and Juliana Fichtl, and Connor and Camryn Fitzhugh, his siblings, Margaret Vossler, Ed Chalus, Nancy Jewel, Mary Beth Thoen. He is also survived by his second wife, Carolyn Brotzman, her children, Pamela Holloway, Benjamin Brotzman, and Martin Brotzman, and three grandchildren, Rylee, and Grant Holloway, and Preston Brotzman. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be directed to Porter & St. Anthony Hospice, Denver, and/or O'Gorman High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Please share your memories of Dennis and condolences with his family by signing the Guestbook below.