In Memoriam Dennis Delay (1950-2015)
It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of NEEP’s New Hampshire forecast manager, Dennis Delay, following a brief illness. Dennis passed away on December 18.
Dennis had been the New Hampshire forecast manager for 30 years, starting
in the spring of 1986. He will not only be remembered for his intellect and knowledge of the New Hampshire economy, but for his wonderful sense of humor. For years, we all looked forward to the last slide in his presentation at the outlook conference, his latest “Segway report.” Dennis’s love of the economy and pride in his home state always came through in his writing and presentations.Dennis had a unique ability to make the NEEP forecasting effort both thoughtful and fun for all of the forecast managers. As Ross Gittell, Vice President and Forecast Manager for NEEP and Chancellor of New Hampshire’s community college system, commented “Dennis will be greatly missed in New Hampshire and the New England region. In N.H. Dennis was the ‘go to’ person for engaging in conversations about the economy.” Dennis had been an economist with the N.H. Center for Public Policy Studies. He was an adjunct professor at New England College and Granite State College and had worked for Public Service of New Hampshire for many years. Dennis, a resident of Manchester, NH, was a graduate of St. Anselm College.
Steve Norton, Director of the NH Center for Public Policy Studies, said he hired Dennis as a “bridge from the policy world to the business community,” but Dennis’s sense of humor was a bonus. “He had credibility because of his calmness and his straightforward approach to policy conversations – the fact that he was very humble, and he had a very impish wit, something you don’t often get with economists,” Norton said.
Dennis was active in his community, was a member of the Manchester Choral Society, and was director of his church choir. He leaves his wife, Marilyn and three daughters.
He will be sorely missed by his many friends and colleagues at NEEP.
