Jan. 1, 1949 – March 28, 2017
Laguna Beach artist and business owner Dennis Junka died at home on March 28. He was 68.
Junka, a native of Ohio, spent most of his life in Southern California. He attended Chouinard Art Institute (now California Institute of the Arts).
Junka’s commitment to Laguna Beach was evident in his 40 years as an exhibitor at the Sawdust Art Festival, where he served as a board member. He showed cards and prints of illustrated teddy bears.
Junk also advocated for the arts as a board member of the Laguna Beach Chamber of Commerce. There he also served on committees that organized signature chamber events such as Taste of Laguna and Hospitality Night.
He also served on the chamber’s Beautification Committee and the city’s HIV advisory board. He was a member of The Greeting Card Creative Network, based in Washington D.C., and his work was the subject of several one-man shows.
He is survived by his twin brother David of Palmetto, Fla., and a niece and nephew, Amanda and Nick, both of Washington. He was preceded in death by his parents Theodore and Marion Junka and his brother Robert.
A celebration will be held in his honor at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at the Sawdust Art Festival. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to festival’s Artists’ Benevolence Fund in Junka’s memory.
