Reg Denny passes

While away, Reg Denny of Denny's fly shop in Edmonton passed. This passing received some news on internet forums and in circles in Edmonton, but few in the Calgary area mentioned much about him. I recall going to the small, out of the way strip mall in NE Edmonton as a kid to load up on tying materials. It was a pain for us southside folks to get to the store, but once there we were in fly fishing and tying heaven. No shop in Calgary even today comes close to having what Denny's had 25 years ago in their shop. No offense to any shop in Alberta, but Denny's of the 90's could easily wipe the floor with their current stock and knowledge of their products. It was a shrine.
We received the following email while we were away in New Zealand and it reflects well on Reg's passing:
"Hi Dave & Amelia
You may have already heard. We don't generally follow any fly fishing forums, so we were sad to hear today from Deb Denny that Reg had passed away Nov. 22/08 at age 79. We were so privileged to be tutored and mentored by Reg. Reg was truly the fellow who inspired our passion for fly fishing and fly tying. On days when fishing is slow, we still find ourselves searching our memories for little gems of info dropped in passing during conversations with Reg,and generally, if we search long and hard, we'll pull out one of his patterns from the corner of a box and begin catching fish. Reg's contributions to the fly fishing and tying community, not only in Edmonton but throughout Western Canada and United States were many. Reg was a talented fly fisher and tyer, also an author of Fly tying pattern books and a regular contributor of articles to fly fishing magazines. He was an excellent tying instructor, both at his Denny's Fly Fishing Shop and at the Conclaves of the Federation of Fly Fishers. He developed many successful patterns and spent many hours on streams and lakes studying the entomology of various insects and their many forms. Reg was a true gentleman. Given his great knowledge and ability, his humility was so admirable. One really had to listen to hear the nuggets of fishing and tying knowledge that he planted during his tying courses and conversations. He mentored many fly fishers and tyers in his lifetime, including those in his family. His children have all learned well at their father's knee and now a new generation of grandchildren are carrying on the art form. Our sincere condolences to his family. Ann & Phil Cadrin - Longview, Alberta"