The cities of Suffolk and Hertford, N.C. lost a man who was known for his friendliness and unbeatable determination to work, whether it was in the clothing industry, news or numerous community organizations.

Eugene Alfred “Gene” Denison died on Sunday at age 88 at the Hertford residence he shares with his wife of 14 years, Margaret Ann Denison. He will be missed by family, former coworkers and countless customers that grew to respect him for his non-stop work ethic.

“He never met a stranger, and he loved people,” said Margaret Ann Denison. “He was gracious and always a gentleman to everyone, no matter who they were or where they came from.”

Denison was born in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1930 to Theodore Edward and Miriam Weisman Denison. He graduated from Philadelphia’s Central High School in 1948 and from University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School for business and in 1952 with a degree in economics and industrial management.

He applied his knack for business when he opened the House of Discount Fashions on West Washington Street in 1955, according to a Virginian-Pilot report. He eventually relocated to the 100 block of North Main Street and renamed his shop Denison’s.

According to a Suffolk News-Herald report, the ladies’ clothing store lasted for more than 60 years, with 45 years under Denison’s careful management. Cecelia Strickland recalled in a Monday phone interview how she was hired to work for him on the spot at age 15 in the early 1970s.

She said he was more like a father to her than a boss.

“He just always took care of us girls, especially me,” she said. “School girls came and went, but I always stuck with him.”

But he also kept her employees busy for every hour they were on the clock, she said.

“He was a working person, and that’s what he taught us. If you weren’t selling, you were tagging (clothes), if you weren’t tagging then you were straightening up stock. You were always doing something,” she said.

When Denison decided to sell the store, he approached Strickland first. She called her sister, Candy Lewis, who had been in banking for nearly three decades, and within 24 hours of the sale the two were in business together. Lewis handled the books, and Strickland bought inventory and helped customers.

The store closed in May 2017 due to high rent and the rise of online shopping, but Strickland took what she learned from Denison and opened Cecelia’s Boutique and Gifts at 120 N. Main St. in October. She said Denison had tears of pride in his eyes when he first visited her store.

“He taught me great ethics about how to treat the customer and present yourself. When you present yourself for the first time in the right way, that’s how you get repeated customers, and I’ve got a lot of repeated customers,” she said.

But Denison wasn’t done working after he sold his shop. In the winter of 2002, at the age of 72, he came to work at the Suffolk News-Herald, where he was employed for nearly nine years.

He told the Suffolk News-Herald that he didn’t like the idea of not having something to do every day, and he had hopes of a job in the newsroom. There were no newsroom openings at the time, so he took a position in the classified department instead.

While at the newspaper, he worked in retail advertising sales, news, legal advertising sales, circulation and customer service, according to the report.

“I love to learn something new all the time,” he told the Suffolk News-Herald. “I think I was good at all the jobs I had.”

His former coworker, Linda Bundy, agreed that he was an excellent employee. Bundy worked with Denison for approximately eight years, and they became close friends. They kept in touch after he retired from the newspaper and they would catch up over a drink at Applebee’s whenever he made the drive from Hertford.

“I would help him and he would help me, regardless of what had to be done,” she said in a phone interview on Monday.

That generosity extended to the rest of the newspaper staff as well. Bundy recalled how he helped on one occasion where someone could not pick up their papers for a delivery route.

“He drove all the way from Hertford to take somebody to deliver that route. He would go above and beyond for the paper. Anything that was asked of him, he would do,” she said.

His time outside of the office was even more staggering. He became active in Suffolk’s civic and community affairs and served six years as president of the original Downtown Suffolk Association, eight years on the advisory board of the Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority — including one year as vice chairman and another as chairman — and 12 years on the Suffolk Salvation Army Advisory Board.

He was also active with the career and technical education programs in Suffolk Public Schools and the Pruden Center for Industry and Technology. He served as a member of both councils and as chairman for one year on each. He also served on several blue-ribbon committees for Suffolk City Council.

His activities continued in the Suffolk chapter of Kiwanis Club International as both a member of the board of directors and twice as its president, and he remained active in the chapter for more than 20 years. He and Margaret Ann Denison attended Hertford United Methodist Church, but he adhered to his Jewish faith and remained a member of Congregation Beth El synagogue in Norfolk.

“He was the energizer bunny for sure,” Margaret Ann Denison said.

His morning routine included barbell exercises and runs up and down the stairs in their home, she said, and even after he was diagnosed with lymphoma in March and underwent chemotherapy, he would still do laps around the house.

“He was very agile on his feet, and he got around not like an older person at all,” she said.

He loved working and the people he worked with. He loved being active on his feet and his accomplishments speak volumes of him, not just as an owner or an employee, but also as a human being, and he will be missed by many.

“He was a wonderful person and a great human being with a lot of compassion,” Margaret Ann Denison said.

In addition to his parents and his second wife of 23 years, Denison was preceded in death by his older brother, Matthew Richard Denison; his brother-in-law, Charlie Banks; and Margaret Ann Denison’s son, Scott Williams.

Along with Margaret Ann Denison, he is survived by his daughter, Terri Joan Budman (Steve); his son, Karl Louis Denison (Lisa); five grandchildren, Madeline and Deni Budman, and Jacob, Sammy, and Zara Denison. Also surviving are Margaret Ann’s son, Howard Williams (Vicki); her daughter, Sherry Kostman; her four grandchildren, Will Williams, Lauren Johnson (Travis), Jennifer Traynor (Kevin), and Robyn Kravitz; two great-granddaughters, Emory and Rory; her sisters, Linda Banks, Brenda White (Kent), and Lee Ann Banks; her nieces and nephews, and Gene’s many dear and loving friends.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Miller & Van Essendelft Funeral Chapel, 1125 Harvey Point Road in Hertford, with Cantor Jennifer Rueben officiating. Friends may join the family in the funeral home immediately following the service on Wednesday and all other times at the residence.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, Development Dept., 601 Children’s Lane, Norfolk, VA 23507. Visit millerfhc.com for online condolences.