TOLEDO, Ohio — Denny Amrhein, a beloved and familiar face to many Toledoans and northwest Ohioans in the market for a car, died in a single-vehicle crash on Dec. 2.
Amrhein started his career as a car dealer at the former Papenhagen Oldsmobile on West Central Avenue in Toledo, where he became one of the highest-selling Oldsmobile dealers in the country during his 12-year tenure.
He then became a Ford dealer in Wauseon before moving to Grogan's Towne Dodge in west Toledo in 1990. He was the owner of Grogan's Towne Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram and Charlie's Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram in Maumee for the last several years.
Amrhein's family said throughout his decades as a car dealer, he became a partner with the company and a pillar in the community.
"No matter where he went, he knew somebody," his son, Denny Amrhein Jr, said. "You could go to a gas station, he knew somebody. You could go down to the grocery store, he knew somebody. It's nice to see how big of an influence he was on the community and a positive one he was as well."
Who was Denny Amrhein to his family? According to them, he was a man who stood by a code: family, work, community, sports and horses.
“I mean there was a list of things that he probably had in an order but family always came first," Amrhein Jr said.
After Amrhein passed, his family started hearing stories they had never heard from people they had never met. They take pride in knowing that the family man they knew was the same generous and infectiously happy individual the community he served knew.
His daughter, Valerie Valentine, said the community coming together to remember him through "phenomenal stories" touches her heart.
The memories that left Amrhein's daughter speechless are those of him lending cars to families who needed to get to doctors’ visits or to get their kids somewhere. His daughter believes not many people in this world would do that.
His granddaughter, Taylor Webb, said his smile made everyone feel happy.
"I never heard him complain, never heard him say anything about a bad day. He was always so positive," she said. Everyone in the community always saw him smiling ... that's what I will remember."
Amrhein did various charitable acts for the Toledo community, whether it was giving to the University of Toledo, local high schools, the Walleye hockey team or the annual Jeep Fest. His family hopes to keep hearing from the community and to continue to give back.