MALTA | Kishwaukee College mathematics instructor Dennis M. Ragan died Monday in the Kishwaukee College parking lot.

“We believe his death was from natural causes,” said Chief Deputy Coroner Dave Jacobson.

He was found sitting in the drivers seat of his car near the employee entrance of Kishwaukee College by a DeKalb County Sheriff’s Deputy during a routine patrol and was pronounced dead at 5:19 a.m. according to a press release.

No foul play is suspected, and an autopsy is being conducted, Jacobson said.

“He had a very bright mind, very sharp and was very good at seeing the ramifications of decisions being made,” said Kishwaukee math instructor Dr. Neal McKenna, “He was very organized in the classroom. Students seemed to really respond to his teaching. He really cared about striving for academic excellence.”

Ragan sometimes taught at NIU through a Kishwaukee program to bring teachers to students.

“I thought his presentations had a flow to them. One topic wold lead into the next,” said Kishwaukee math instructor Robert Hickey.

Ragan was a board of trustees Award of Excellence winner and was studying biology and chemistry because he wanted to study birds in his retirement, McKenna said.

“He had backyard bird feeders, so he could watch the birds in his own home,” Hickey said, “He was already planning ahead.”

Ragan was very involved within the department and served on a few committees such as the curriculum committee and the insurance committee, McKenna said.

“His enthusiasm for the job, I always found motivating and I think he cared about the subject material and the students,” Hickey said, “He was a leader in the department, very logical thinking person, very detail oriented. We’re going to miss him for sure.”

“I always enjoyed visiting with him. We’d go out for supper,” McKenna said, “He was just a great pal and we really miss him.”