After almost nine years of service, Gene Denison is leaving the Suffolk News-Herald to pursue other interests.

Before coming to the News-Herald, Denison, who is 81, owned a women’s clothing store, appropriately named Denison’s, in Suffolk for 45 years.

He got into the apparel business with the help of his first father-in-law after he moved with his first wife to Virginia in 1956.

In 2002, Denison decided to retire and sold the shop, but after only three weeks of retirement, he decided it wasn’t for him.

“I just didn’t like the idea of not having something to do every day,” he said. “I missed (work), but I realized I didn’t miss the apparel business.”

To try something new, Denison came to the newspaper in hopes of finding a job in the newsroom. There were no openings in the newsroom at the time, so he instead took a position in the classifieds department.

While at the newspaper, Denison has worked in several departments, including retail advertising sales, news, legal advertising sales, circulation and customer service.

He said he enjoyed every job he had at the News-Herald because it gave him the opportunity to learn new things.

“I love to learn something new all the time,” he said. “I think I was good at all the jobs I had.”

Also, Denison said he always enjoyed coming to work during his time at the newspaper.

“So many people say they go in to work and dread it,” he said. “I looked forward to it every day. That feeling I had in the first week (of work) carried through for eight years.”

In addition to his jobs in Suffolk, Denison has committed himself to several community service organizations throughout the years.

He has participated as a member of various organizations, including the Kiwanis Club of Suffolk, the Career and Technical Education Council for Suffolk Public Schools, the Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority and the Salvation Army advisory board.

Denison said he doesn’t have any specific plans, but he hopes to find another job, particularly one closer to his home in Hertford, N.C., where he lives with his wife, Margaret Ann Denison.