Dennis Mac Mueller, PhD

Dennis Mac Mueller, PhD, a longtime resident of Wellington, Colorado, died Thursday July 21st, 2016 at Seven Lakes Memory Care in Loveland, Colorado. Dennis was born on May 1, 1943 in Eagle Butte, South Dakota. He was a veteran of the US Army, avid outdoorsman, cowboy, coach, and inventor. After completing his military service in 1967, Dennis married Katherine Leo and came to Colorado where he received a Bachelor degree from Colorado State University. He began working in the logging industry near Durango before coming back to Fort Collins in 1974 to take a position with the USDA ARS. While raising a young family, coaching youth baseball, and working a full time job, Dennis continued his education earning both a Master and Doctorate in Philosophy. Among his many accomplishments in his 25-year career as an agricultural research scientist, Dennis received several U.S. patents including a U.S. Patent for his cactus de-spinner/harvester designed to provide a more nutritious food source for cattle. Dennis was a visionary who was always tinkering and inventing, and his ultimate goal was to design a vehicle for the future. He will be dearly missed by his family, friends, and all of those he coached and educated with his unique wisdom throughout the years. Dennis is survived by his four sons and their spouses; David and Jennifer Mueller (Ft. Collins, CO), Shane and Kathi Mueller (LaPorte, CO), Darrin and Stacey Mueller (Fleming Island, FL), and Roy Cantu (Bangor, WI), along with 9 grandchildren, 2 brothers, 2 sisters, and many nieces and nephews. Dennis was preceded in death by his wife Katherine L. Mueller, and parents George and Patricia Mueller. A visitation will be held at the Allnutt Drake Chapel, Fort Collins, from 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 30, 2016, followed by the funeral service at 10:00 a.m.