Denis P. Lukaszewski, age 72, of Orléans, France, passed away on Sunday, June 21, at his home in Abilene, Texas.

Denis was born on September 23, 1953, in Orléans, France, to Marcelle Caumont and Eugene Lukaszewski. He moved to the United States with his parents in 1955 to Belton, Texas, where his sister, Jeanine (Lukaszewski) Kane, was born on December 23, 1956.

They moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1963 where Denis attended high school at St. Benedict. This is also where he met his wife, Regina (Erbacci) Lukaszewski (although they always joked that if someone had told them they would one day marry, they would have laughed in their face). Denis graduated from St. Benedict in 1972 and eventually joined the United States Army.

Denis served his country for 14 years, spending 7 years and 9 months of those in multiple countries overseas. During his service, he received the Kuwait Liberation Medal and the Bronze Star Medal while serving as a medic in Operation Desert Storm. He was always very proud of his service.

He eventually joined his wife and newborn daughter, Andrea (Lukaszewski) Rader, in San Antonio, Texas, where he and Regi would spend the next 33 years before moving to Abilene, Texas in June 2025 to be close to their daughter and son-in-law, Josh Rader.

All who knew him knew Denis was a die-hard Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, and San Antonio Spurs fan. His favorite teams to watch, however, were always the ones his daughter played on. Many relatives and friends will miss his noteworthy one-liners and ability to make anything into a joke just to put a smile on someone’s face.

Denis was preceded in death by his father: Eugene Lukaszewski.

Denis is survived by his wife: Regina Lukaszewski; daughter: Andrea “Andi” Rader and husband Josh; sister: Jeanine Kane, husband Tim, and sons Ryan and James; and mother: Marcelle Lukas and husband Don.

A visitation will be held at Hamil Family Funeral Home, located at 6449 Buffalo Gap Road, Abilene, TX 79606, on Wednesday, July 1, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. A graveside service will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 2, at Texas State Veterans Cemetery of Abilene, located at 7457 W Lake Road, Abilene, TX 79601.

Denis had the softest heart for animals and leaves behind his beloved rescue companions, Tres, Elvis, and Grace. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to All Kind Animal Initiative at 610 ES 11th Street, Abilene, TX 79602 or https://www.allkindabilene.org/donate