Denny Neil Bearce

Dr Denny Neil Bearce was born November 1, 1934 in Pittsburg Pennsylvania. His parents were Valmore Bearce and Winnifred Beach. He is survived by his wife of 66 years Judith (Judy) Lee Bearce, and son Steven Craig Bearce, but his son Terry preceded him in death at the age of 19. His granddaughters are Chelsae Miller (William), Brenna Brammell (Wade). His great grandchildren Marcy, Liam, and Rowan Miller. He grew up on a small farm in Westchester County, New York in a community called Sleepy Hollow (yes, the one in the book). He attended school at Pocantico Hills and Washington Irving High School in Tarrytown New York. He then went to Brown University in Rhode Island where he majored in geology because he thought it was the only career that would let him be outdoors a lot. He went in the US Marine Corps after graduation and was sent to Okinawa for a year then came back to the US where he was sent to Quantico Virginia. The Marine Corps decided he would be a teacher to the incoming 2nd lieutenants. This gave him the goal to leave the Marines for more education.

He then went to the Missouri School of Mines in Rolla Missouri for a Master’s Degree in Geology. Afterwards he worked for Mobil Oil for a few years. He then went to the University of Tennessee for his Ph.D.

He then taught at Eastern Kentucky University for a year. He then moved to Birmingham Alabama to teach geology at Birmingham Southern College for 7 years. He then got the opportunity to start the Geology Department at the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he worked for 25 years, retiring in 1997. He continued to do consulting geology projects and time to other civic volunteer work. Some of his post retirement activities included hunting and fishing, woodworking including furniture and flintlock rifles, volunteer work with church groups for hurricane recovery for homes, Community Ministries at Highlands Methodist Church, Habitat for Humanity, Carpenters Hands, traveling for pleasure, traveling for mission work to Paraguay where he installed community water wells, traveling with the youth of Highland Methodist Church for the Appalachian Service Project each summer for 7 years. He is still known for regaling the youth with his original ghost stories, including ghoulish faces, before bedtime. He was passionate about music including singing in the choir at Highlands Methodist and playing piano for his own pleasure. He always knew the right things to do, to say, and to write. His sense of humor will always be remembered by those who knew him.

Semper fidelis.