(This post has been updated.)
Richard Todd Denno of Benicia was killed in a boat crash off the coast of Vallejo last weekend.
On the evening of Saturday, July 28, Denno and a driver were on a 24-foot outboard motor boat on the Carquinez Strait. After a dinner at The Front Room at the Wharf, the boat departed for Benicia and turned left when it struck a seawall. The driver survived, but Denno was killed.
Denno grew up in Fenton, Mich. and graduated from Northwood University in Ohio with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in economics and management. From 1994 to 2007, he was a customer support manager for Ryder Truck Rental in San Leandro. He was also a sales representative for Nick’s Custom Golf Cars in Benicia from 2009 to 2012 and was most recently a sales and marketing representative for the damage restoration company SERVPRO of Lafayette/Moraga/Orinda.
Jeff Burkhart, a friend who ran a March Madness pool with Denno in 2017, said he would always be seen having a meal and wine at Lucca Bar & Grill following a workday and was just a very positive person.
“He always had a smile on his face,” Burkhart said of Denno. “He never had a negative thing to say about anyone.”
Burkhart said a celebration of life would take place at Lucca in the near future, but a date has not been announced yet.
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I worked with Rich when he was a part timer at To Your Health for like 4 years. I saw him a the grocery store maybe a year ago and we talked and caught up for a long time. He loved boats and the water, so even though I’m really sad hearing this, it makes me feel a little better he died somewhere he loved.