Former Cottage Grove Mayor John “Jack” D. Denzer passed away January 29th, 2022 surrounded by family. He was 89.

Mayor of Cottage Grove from 1992 through 2000, Denzer also served as a city council member for several years, from 1978 through 1991. Denzer was remembered fondly by current Cottage Grove Mayor Myron Bailey.

“He was very instrumental in my getting into politics,” Bailey shared after giving the State of the City address February 2 from City Hall.

Passing after a short but courageous battle with covid pneumonia, Denzer was the fourth out of six mayors total who have served Cottage Grove since its transition from a township to a city back in the mid-1960s.

Along with being a past mayor of Cottage Grove, Denzer was a soldier, business owner, and Lions Club member, owning Jack’s Pure Oil, the name later changed to Jack’s Union 76 and Jack’s Phillips 66. Denzer was a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church as well, along with the local Jaycees and Cottage Grove Snowmobile Club.

Born August 5, 1932 in Trimbelle, Wisconsin, Denzer served in Korea with the United States Navy before meeting his wife Marlys and getting a job as an airplane engine mechanic at St. Paul, moving into one of the first developments in Cottage Grove back in 1956.

Denzer is survived by his wife, sister, and other family members. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Mayor Jack Denzer. Submittedphoto.