Meet Rick!

Just over a year ago, South Haven lost one of our longtime and beloved community members, Sue DeNise, who devoted much of her time supporting local non-profit organizations, like Friends of the Blue Star Trail, Al-Van Humane Society, and the We Care Community Resource Center. She also supported her friends’ community projects, like the splash pad and neighborhood playgrounds. Now, her son Rick DeNise and daughter Caitlin DeNise, are fulfilling their commitment of keeping their mother’s spirit alive in the town she loved most.

Rick and Caitlin inherited their mother’s home in South Haven when she lost her battle with cancer in January of 2022 and decided to keep the home in the family to honor their mother, who moved to the quaint town from nearby Kalamazoo, where she previously lived and worked.

“We’re actually from the West Coast, but mom relocated to Kalamazoo for work, and loved South Haven so much that it became the place that brought our family together for gatherings and special occasions,” shared Rick, who lives in Washington state with his wife and kids. “It’s really important for us as a family to keep living that tradition. Being here, especially in her home, we feel her presence so much. Everything reminds us of her.”

 But along with the beautiful memories came a mortgage payment, so Rick and Caitlin settled on renting out the home to help pay it off so they could keep it in the family for generations to come.

“Me and my family take about three to four trips out there a year, not including my sister and her family, but every Fourth of July all of us spend a few weeks there,” said Rick. “It’s one of the traditions mom started. Outside of that, we rent out the property. And if we didn’t do that, we wouldn’t be able to keep the house.”

What’s important for Rick is putting as much money as he can back into the community. “I’m willing to spend more to use local businesses who provide exceptional services: Lake Shore Paint and Patio, instead of outsourcing to big box stores. Mom had a lot of friends in the community, like Aaron and Arnie from the paint and patio shop. And all of them have been there for us during her loss.”

Last summer, community members who were close to Sue built a bench in her honor near her home that overlooks the marina to signify the special love she had for South Haven and how much it meant for her to spread that far and wide.