Dennis (Denny) Carl Hohbein, age 78 of Rogersville, MO, passed away peacefully on January 17, 2019 in his home with his loving wife of 54 years by his side.  He was born November 7, 1940 in Lexington, NE to Carl and Laura (Deerk) Hohbein.  He married Eileen Rose Diedrichs on June 13, 1964 at St. John Lutheran Church in Beatrice, NE.  He and Rose lived in their home at 1720 Hoyt St. in Beatrice, NE for 43-years, where they raised two beautiful daughters, Laura Rose and Angela Denise.  After retiring in 2006, Denny and Rose moved to Rogersville, MO to be closer to their daughters and their families.

Denny started his fire service career in 1965 as a member of the Beatrice Fire Department, where he advanced over the years to City Fire Inspector.  In 1975 he began his career with the Nebraska State Fire Marshal's office as a Deputy, three years later he was promoted to Deputy State Fire Marshal of District A, a position he held for 17 years.  For several years the District A office was located on the grounds of Beatrice State Developmental Center, where he also served on the volunteer fire department.  In 1995 he became the safety coordinator at Beatrice State Developmental Center.  In 2000 Denny returned to the Nebraska State Fire Marshal's office as the Assistant State Fire Marshal.  In 2003 he was appointed as the Nebraska State Fire Marshal, where he served until his retirement in December 2006.

Denny enjoyed outdoor activities with family and friends, especially fishing, boating, and hunting.  Some of his favorite memories were of boating/skiing trips on Table Rock Lake and exploring mountain jeep trails in Colorado with Rose and their daughters, fishing trips on the Buffalo River with his son-in-laws and grandsons, and fishing and hunting trips with many friends and family over the years.  He and Rose enjoyed riding motorcycles together, taking Laura and Angie on "supper rides" when they were younger, riding from Beatrice to nearby towns to have dinner.  He enjoyed assembling model cars, black powder rifles and pistols.

During his time in Beatrice, Denny was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church (1940-1960) and St. John Lutheran Church (1960-2007), where he served on various committees and church council.  He and Rose joined Messiah Lutheran Church in Springfield, MO when they moved to Missouri in 2007, where he enjoyed worshiping and serving on church council and the Safety Committee.

Preceded in death by his parents Carl and Laura Hohbein, Aunts Agnes Witcofski, Clara and Elizabeth Deerk, Uncles Fred Witcofski, John and Albert Deerk.

He is survived by his wife Rose, daughter Laura Helmke of Rogersville, MO and her husband Jason and their children, Amanda, Hunter, and Makayla, and Angie Nickell of Columbia, MO and husband Josh and their two sons, Austin and Evan.  He is also survived by brother-in-law Eldon John Diedrichs and wife Karen of Milford, NE, sister-in-law Joyce Vanwinkle of Beatrice, NE, niece Christine Richtig and family of Puyallup, WA, and nephews Aaron Diedrichs and family of Deltona, FL and Caleb Diedrichs of Milford, NE.

Visitation will be held at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, 1947 E. Seminole, Springfield, MO on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 from 5:00-7:00 PM, with a celebration of life service at Messiah Lutheran Church, 925 E. Seminole, Springfield, MO on Thursday, January 24, 2019 at 10:30 AM, with a lunch immediately following in Messiah's Fellowship Hall.  Prior to interment at Evergreen Home Cemetery in Beatrice, Nebraska, a celebration of life service will be held at 10:30 AM at St. John Lutheran Church, 701 N. 6 ^th St., Beatrice, NE on Saturday, January 26, 2019.  Prior to the service, a visitation will be held at St. John's from 9:00-10:00.  A family prayer service will begin at 10:00 in the chapel.  Following interment, a lunch will be held in the St. John's church basement.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Messiah Lutheran Church Endowment Fund, 925 E. Seminole St., Springfield MO 65807.