He was one of seven children who all pulled their weight to survive their meager farm. He and his sisters were the hardest working sugar beet thinners in Box Elder County. He delivered newspapers by bicycle and horseback through high school. After graduation he joined the Army National Guard and in 1941 was called to active duty. He went to Southern California and the Pacific Northwest for training and maneuvers in field communications. The 222nd regiment shipped out of San Francisco, under the Golden Gate Bridge, on the SS Etolin; convicts waving to them from Alcatraz. They sailed to Kauai, Guadalcanal, and Cape Gloucester. He fought as an infantryman, firing 155 howitzers and worked in field communications in the battle for Luzon and Paani Islands in the Philippines. He was never so proud as the day he returned home with full military honors from World War II in 1945.
After the war, he became a professional duck hunter with his cousin Jack Mateson. Dennis taught his sons and daughters a love for hunting and fishing. Most of the family vacations centered around hunting, fishing and camping.
Dennis and Colleen Rowley were married on August 25, 1948, in the Salt Lake City Temple. They raised four children, Deneen (Don) Sooter, Walnut Creek, CA; Kevin Dennis, Norvil (Phyllis), Spring Creek, NV; Paula (Richard) DiNucci, Timonium, MD.
Dennis worked as an industrial arts teacher for the Granite School District for 30 years. He was a skilled cabinet maker and could make anything. He built cabinets for the Jordan River Temple, and an entire changing table unit for his Mt. Olympus ward. Our houses are filled with his craftsmanship, he helped build chicken coops, pigeon pavilions, worm farms, bird houses, a race car bed, a fish wheel, cribs and toys of all kinds.
He loved dining at muffin parlors and treating his grandkids to "tonsil sleigh rides" with ice cream and trips to Lagoon. He loved to return to his hometown for the duck and pheasant hunting, the24th of July, Christmas parties, and parades. Doc had nicknames for everyone who lived in Bear River.
Dennis was respected and held in high esteem by all who knew him. Friends and family were constantly entertained by his relentless sense of humor and one-liners. At the age of 98, he still filled each day with his woodworking and landscaping projects. He had an endless appetite for learning and never said an unkind word about anyone. He never forgot a name or a face.
In May 2018, Dennis attended the Utah Veteran's Honor Flight to Washington D.C. touring the nation’s capital where the veterans were celebrated by everyone along the way.
He was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where he served as the ward clerk for 42 years.
Dennis is proceeded in death by his wife Pearl Colleen, his son Kevin Dennis, his parents, and all of his siblings. He is survived by his three children, eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren as well as many other family members who will cherish his memory.
Services for Dennis will be held on Saturday, October 12, 2019, at 11:00 AM at the Mt. Olympus Ward 4635 South Lanark Road, Holladay, Utah with a viewing 1 hour prior.
