Love Stories : Sulpizios shared love of surprises
Spokane native Denny Sulpizio was full of surprises.
From the day they met, Marigail discovered a romantic with a brazen sense of humor and the ability to befriend everyone.
In January 1981, Marigail’s friends had tickets to an Oak Ridge Boys concert. Newly divorced, she gladly accepted. But one ticket remained.
“They said, ‘We have this friend. We’ll call him up and make it a foursome,’ ” she said. They were setting me up, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to see the Oak Ridge Boys.”
Dinner at the Spaghetti Factory was planned.
“I didn’t even ask my friends what he looked like. I wasn’t even concerned.
“But we walked in, and all of a sudden I got nervous.”
Marigail’s face flushed with the memory.
“As we walked up, he said, ‘Hi, I’m Denny, but you can call me darling.’ “
That was her first glimpse into Denny’s humor, but the evening was just beginning. At the concert, the foursome discovered their seats were in different sections of the Opera House.
“Denny and I were 15 seats apart, and he said to the people sitting between us, ‘We just got married, and we’re on our honeymoon. Would you please let us sit together?’
“Everybody started congratulating us and moved over,” she said.
“He made me laugh and did great impressions of Lawrence Welk, leaving crazy messages on the answering machine with the music and the bubbles in the background. I never knew what he was going to do, and that’s what really attracted me to him.”
The defining moment came when Marigail returned from visiting her parents in Moscow, Idaho.
“I drove up, and he saw me and ran out of the house and down the driveway to greet me. He was so happy to see me,” she said.
Soon, Denny informed Marigail of his intentions by telephone.
“I just want to tell you that I’m going to marry you.”
Marigail was speechless, but that didn’t stop Denny the Romantic.
“I just decided that, so I thought I’d let you know,” he told her confidently.
On Dec. 4, 1981, they were married in a chapel on the South Hill.
“We only had enough money to either go on a honeymoon or have a party. We decided to have a party,” Marigail said.
“We had about 100 people in a 700-square-foot house. It was so much fun.”
One thing is certain: Denny’s Italian heritage intertwined with their marriage.
“Family is the most important thing,” Marigail said. “You didn’t do anything to family, and if you did, you’d be sorry.
“And friends – once Denny’s your friend, he’s your friend for life.”
Denny, the ultimate street rodder, converted yesteryear’s coupes and pickups into the hot rods of today.
“He got me totally hooked on street rods,” Marigail said. “We bought a 1934 Ford sedan, and he completely restored it and painted it red with flames.”
They joined Street Tin, a Spokane street rod group, and Denny’s masterful car-painting techniques are cruising now on six of their friends’ street rods.
“He’d do anything for anybody because he’s their friend and he loved to do it,” Marigail said.
Twenty years and two sons later, Marigail woke up on her 50th birthday to find her dream car in the driveway – a rusted-out 1969 Chevelle.
“I was so excited – it was my Chevelle!” she said. “Denny completely restored it, painting it the original argent silver.”
Their sons, Scott and Emilio, were weaned on street rods.
“When Scott (a Whitworth alumus who now works in research and development for a Spokane company) was in junior high, we talked about the street rod Denny was going to help him build. They restored a 1937 Chevy pickup.”
Again, Denny’s talent for car painting came into play.
When Emilio (a senior at Mead High School who has been awarded the Whitworth Faculty Scholarship) was 8, they talked about what type of street rod he was going to get. We found a ‘47 Chevy at a swap meet that needed everything, so they started working on that.”
Through their association with the street rod club and Denny’s work as a technician at Spokane Radiology, the couple garnered friends far and wide. Denny’s capacity to engage anyone in conversation became his trademark, and the ability to surprise, his legacy.
On Dec. 4, 2003, the couple celebrated their 22nd anniversary at the Davenport Hotel.
“We walked to Ankenny’s and went dancing,” Marigail said. “And you know when something happens in your life and you think this is so wonderful and you want to remember it, so you imprint it in your brain?
“I did that when we were dancing. I told him, ‘I just love to dance with you.’
“We walked back to the Davenport. It was a beautiful, cold evening, and Christmas music was playing. Denny loved Christmas because he loved giving.”
Denny surprised Marigail one last time. On Dec. 28, 2003, he suddenly died of heart failure.
“He was a mobile tech and went to a lot of nursing homes. He always told me he never wanted his kids to see him not being able to talk or. …” Marigail’s words trailed as she struggled with the memories.
“He was way too young, but it was the best way to go.”
Despite Denny’s jokes that only four people would go to his funeral, the Roman Catholic church in the Valley was packed.
“During the service, a bright ray of sunlight shot through the window,” Marigail recalled, “and I thought, ‘Denny must be amazed at all the friends he had.’ “
Today, family and friends remain a source of strength for the Sulpizios.
Scott and his wife, Katie, returned to Spokane “so they could be here for us,” and Denny’s heritage of family first has been passed on to his sons. The two have almost finished Emilio’s street rod.
“It’s going to be red with flames,” Emilio told his mom. “Dad wanted it red with flames.”
Life’s lessons are often learned through loss.
“Our favorite place was to go to The Coeur d’Alene, and even though we couldn’t afford it, we did it anyway. I’m so glad we did because I have those memories,” Marigail said.
“I wish I would’ve appreciated at the time those little things. Like in the morning, we always had a cup of coffee together. And when he came home from work, it was important for him to sit down and talk about the day.
“He always made that time, and I miss that.
“I would tell people, ‘Don’t spend your time bickering about things that aren’t important. Treasure every moment you have together, because you never know.
“Let them know how important they are to you, and if you want to go somewhere, do it.”
One key friendship of Denny’s abruptly ended shortly before his death and never was reconciled.
“He was truly hurt by this because friends were so important to him,” Marigail said. “I would tell people to resolve the hurt.”
“Denny loved kids,” she said, mustering a smile. “My nieces and nephews all loved him because he would talk to them.”
In May, Scott and Katie’s first child will arrive.
“I know Denny would be ecstatic,” Marigail whispered, looking out at the brilliantly blue Spokane sky.