A special condolence card arrived in the mail shortly after Dennis passed on March 27, 2026 with the phrase "one of the good guys gone." That best captures the essence of who Dennis was with a good friend adding: "The world is not the same without him." That was not hyperbole, but also not what many would observe from a distance as he wielded his influence with kindness, integrity, and quiet strength, humbly serving his family, community, and profession with a minimum of fanfare.
Nearly everyone who has shared reflections about Dennis - family, friends, colleagues - have trumpeted Dennis' deep value placed on family. He was an integral part of his two children's sports histories, coaching and cheering them on in all their youth endeavors and supporting them as their professional careers grew. His son, Peter, laughingly recalled his dad using text speak before it was even commonly adopted - he always shortened his greeting with Peter to HP (Hi, Peter). Lauren fondly recalls commuting with her dad to night classes at Rutgers Law when she was a student and he an instructor. Diane, his wife of more than 55 years, recounts heartwarming stories of winter ski trips to New England and summer sailing adventures at the New Jersey Shore. But most famously, he and whoever would tag along, were ubiquitous walkers with their golden retrievers. More recently, he was a constant as fan and chauffeur for his three granddaughters.
Dennis was also all about giving back to his community. He was a long-time member of the morning Rotary club in Moorestown where he was legend at informally leading prayers and invocations at events when an ordained pastor was absent. Many a Sunday morning he could be found as an usher at the neighborhood Presbyterian church. He worked tirelessly as a Shriner, especially with an annual golf tournament, to support the local Shriners Children's' hospital. He also volunteered as a youth sports coach and put his legal training to use successfully protecting green acres from residential development.
His legal profession was better for having him as a part. Dennis started his legal training at Temple Law in 1970, just after graduating from Baldwin Wallace with an undergraduate degree in economics. During his law studies he interned at Needleman, Tabb, and Eisman, before joining as an associate and an eventual partner. He later partnered with Glenn Zeitz, handling the civil cases while Glenn focused on famous criminal cases. He went on to become the Moorestown Town solicitor and planning board attorney while at the same time maintaining his own private practice. He eventually became chief legal counsel for GF Golf Course Hotel Management. Like many attorneys who love what they do, at retirement age he went back to private practice - always focusing his attention on cases that helped people out of challenging situations. But Dennis' proudest legal contribution was an adjunct faculty at Rutgers Law School in Camden. That experience best captures who he was as an attorney. Rutgers recruited him to develop and teach a business law practicum. As his dean said, "Dennis brought a reality and practicality to the curriculum that the more theoretically oriented classes often left out." He worked with the Rutgers business incubator to develop a service for new local business startups that combined legal and business support. For six years Dennis' students, with his steady tutelage, offered legal start-up advice giving students a real-world experience. According to his dean, "He was both popular and successful in the role, adding depth and dimension to the traditional curriculum." Dennis continued creating solutions for clients right up to his death.
Sports were always a huge part of who Dennis was. In his later years he loved taking his two local granddaughters to their respective soccer and lacrosse practices, cheered all of them on at games, and filled their wardrobes with Phillies, Flyers, Eagles, and 76ers gear. He was a coach for both his son and daughter. Soccer was king in the household, with Dennis and Diane rarely missing youth, high school, and college matches. He was especially proud of having coached five of Peter's peers who later went on the win a state championship their senior year of high school. He also guided Lauren's youth travel team to a state championship and on to East Coast tournament play where he shared with the team his childhood haunts in Buffalo, NY. Dennis also gave back to the sport by officiating at the high school and small college level.
A hallmark of Dennis' character was chiseled into his psyche from his middle school days and persisted throughout his life. Dennis was always tall for his age and loved sports, but it did not necessarily come naturally or easily for him. He had to work hard to be the best. A friend from childhood relayed how he and Dennis both wanted to be the best athletes in the school but without the natural abilities some youngsters are blessed with. He and his friend decided that one advantage they could build would be muscle strength. They signed up for an old-school gym in a rough neighborhood in Buffalo and throughout junior high and high school they both faithfully worked out three times a week and both went on to have successful college sports careers. His friend said that was classic Dennis - "he never stopped trying hard in life."
Dennis' favorite self-deprecating story was retold many times, and his biggest regret -- revolved around his life-long love of sports. Early in his Lauren's career he was coaching her local travel team. At pre-season trials a young girl showed up, three years younger than the other players on the pitch, the smallest one on the field, but also head and shoulders above the other players in ability. Dennis, concerned that this budding talent might get hurt playing with the bigger girls, decided to cut her from the team. That player, Carli Lloyd, grew up to be a two-time Olympic gold medalist, a two-time FIFA world cup champ, and 2024 National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee. Dennis maintained that his rejection of her is what toughened Carli up for an unsurpassed international soccer career.
Dennis was born on August 7, 1948 in Buffalo, NY, the only child of Virginia Congrove and Peter Talty. He married Diane (Cogan) Talty on December 20, 2070 after a courtship at Baldwin Wallace where they both earned undergraduate degrees. They started their family as residents in Merchantville, Diane's home town, and moved to Moorestown in the mid-1980s. Dennis is also survived by his son Peter and his wife Christina, and their daughter Annabella; and his daughter, Lauren Talty-Glenn and her husband Malik Glenn and their two daughters, Aliana and Sophia. The family welcomes friends to join the family at a memorial service celebrating his life on May 8, 2026 at the Moorestown Presbyterian Church, 101 Bridgeboro Road, Moorestown, NJ with a family greeting at 10 am and a service at 11 am. Those wanting to honor Dennis are invited to make a donation to either the Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue (https://dvgrr.org/support/tribute-donations/) or the Shriners Children's Philadelphia Hospital (https://dvgrr.org/support/tribute-donations/).