Dennis Edwin Morey

Dennis is survived by his daughter Sandra (& Dan), son Rich (& Holly), brother Dave (& Jackie), sister Debbie (& Annie) and grandchildren Troy, Zack, James, Kate, and Alex. He was a devoted husband of 54 years to Pat Morey, who passed away in 2017.

Dennis was known for his sharp mind, quick wit, and ability to fix anything. His sense of humor was legendary. Even when he was being wheeled into the ER for one of his many heart procedures over the years, you could count on him for some hilarious one-liners to lighten the mood.

Dennis was born October 8, 1944 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania to the late Ed and Audrey Morey. He was married to his high school sweetheart, the late Pat Morey, for 54 years.

The family moved around a lot until 1958, when they settled in Falls Church, Virginia, where Dennis attended Falls Church High School. He became a fan favorite as the punter for the football team. He played trombone in the band and started his lifelong obsession with golf.

At golf he was tough to beat, but he was such fun company that it didn’t matter. If you were playing ‘Best Ball,’ he was your ringer. He’s the only guy I’ve ever golfed with who would consistently go home from a round with more balls than he brought. He knew where to look. If you need some, let us know. We have boxes of them.

He enjoyed working on cars and was resourceful. He once used his kids’ old swing set as a makeshift lift to replace the engine in the family station wagon, affectionately known as “Bertha.” This work was done in the driveway, much to the dismay of his neighbors. He loved Ford Mustangs. His first was a 1965 that he bought new in Falls Church. He later restored two Mustangs, and his last car was a 2012 Mustang GT.

He was very smart, and a hard worker. An aptitude test after high school steered him to computers, and that would drive his career. He became a computer programmer back in the early days of punched cards.

He developed and supported computer systems for the Washington Navy Yard for 15 years before doing the same for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, where he would close out his federal career and retire in 2000. While there, he was part of a team that developed some of the first computer systems to support the federal courts. He then developed and implemented a standardized financial system and several training programs for the courts. He travelled around the country setting them up and training employees. He worked hard and was a proud civil servant.

After retiring, he continued to work as a consultant for many years.

All this, despite having had heart issues starting at 40 years old. We were always worried about Dad’s health. We didn’t expect him to outlive Mom. He always used to say with a wry smile, “Me strong like bull!” He really was. In his later years, he developed Parkinson’s disease, but even that didn’t stop him for quite a while.

He and Pat lived in the same house in Alexandria, Virginia, for almost 50 years. They loved their community and their church. Dad played trombone in the church band. Mom sang in the choir. They were good neighbors and good friends to so many.

After his wife Pat passed in 2017, he moved to Georgia to live with his daughter Sandra and her husband Dan. In 2021, he moved to Vitality Living Frederica on St. Simons Island, Georgia.

On his tour of the facility before he agreed to move in, he jokingly quipped that he might consider becoming a resident if they had a billiards table. They laughed and countered that if he lived there, they’d see what they could do. Sure enough, once he moved in, a billiards table appeared. That tells you a lot about the good folks there, and the family extends our heartfelt thanks to everyone at Vitality and Hearth Hospice for loving him and taking good care of him when his health needs exceeded our abilities.

He was a real charmer and kept us laughing. We are lucky to have had him in our lives as long as we did. We love him and miss him deeply.

The memorial service will be Tuesday, February 4 at 10:30am at Calvary Road Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, please make a tribute donation to the Parkinson’s Foundation (parkinson.org).