Dennis Boyd Fuqua

Dennis Boyd Fuqua was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

Dennis was born on December 1, 1946 at Union Hospital in Terre Haute, Indiana. His parents were Lloyd C. and June Wanda Fuqua. Dennis was raised in Terre Haute, Indiana, Prairie Creek, Indiana and Baldwin Park, California. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Fuqua household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Dennis was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Dennis was raised with six siblings. He had four brothers, Harry, Kenneth, Bart and Douglas and two sisters, Judy and Tonya. Dennis was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Dennis and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Dennis was always consistently loyal to his family.

As a young child, Dennis was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Dennis developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. In his spare time he liked drums. From childhood to adult he played in band. However, what Dennis enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Dennis as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Baldwin Park High School in 1964. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was band. Dennis was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Dennis always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Dennis handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Dennis was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. Dennis was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Dennis well during his college experience. He earned his Associate in Arts - Mt San Antonio College 1973. He also earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Redlands.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Dennis was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Dennis was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Dennis to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Ralph Ayala, Leon Kidwell and Gary Robinson. Later in life, he became friends with Joey and Barbara Dougherty, Linda and Dick French, Sonny Herrbach, Dareld Keeney, Don Fulton, his work and golf buddies, Dick and Marcine Skok, Louie and Cecilia Ledesma, John and Shirley Moroney, Rudy and Lorraine Mayer, great neighbors Scott Rheude and Rob Johnson and a wonderful sister-in-law, Linda Fuqua.

On February 12, 1966 Dennis exchanged wedding vows with Patricia Marie Pieters at the St. Louise de Marillac Catholic Church of Covina, California. Compassionate and devoted to Patricia, Dennis held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Patricia and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

Dennis brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Dennis was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Dennis was blessed with two children, one son, Richard Alan (wife Sara) and one daughter, Tamara Lynn (husband Bill). They were also blessed with seven grandchildren, Melanie, Tyler, Austin, Jordyn, Blake, Cornell and Caden.

Dennis greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Dennis enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Dennis was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was at the telephone company. He was employed for 37 years by GTE (Verizon). Dennis worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Dennis was an Air Force veteran. He was stationed in Merced, California. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant SSGT. He received praise for his valor, including being awarded Happiness is a Clean Airplane Award and 93 Bomb Wing Maintenance Man of the Month. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Dennis seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country.

Dennis liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Dennis always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were music, drums and a 57 Chevy. Dennis was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others. Denny's family also recalls that his favorite food was macaroni and cheese. He had his own special recipe and was quite proud of it. Some of his favorite sayings were "Read, Read, Read" and "God gave you a butt, sit on it."

Dennis found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. Recreational sports included golf. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were basketball - Lakers.

Many organizations were grateful to have Dennis as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Dennis was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In high school, Dennis was a member of the Baldwin Park Braves Band. During his years at GTE, he was a member of Junior Achievement and the GTE Good Government Club.

Dennis was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of the Catholic Church for 34 years. During that time, he was on various church committees. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

Dennis enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Favorite vacations included Alaskan Cruise (he enjoyed all cruises) and Las Vegas.

Dennis was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Dennis’s favorites was Casey, a yellow Lab dog. They were best friends for 11 years.

When Dennis’s retirement finally arrived in 2002, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, he found new pleasure in golf, contracted teaching (which he always wanted to do) and being with his family, especially the grandchildren. Even in retirement, Dennis continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

Dennis Boyd Fuqua passed away on July 21, 2010 at Citrus Valley Hospice in West Covina, California. He fought a brave battle against lung cancer. He is survived by his wife Patricia, his children Richard (wife Sara) and Tamara (husband Bill), his grandchildren Melanie, Tyler, Austin, Jordyn, Blake, Cornell and Caden, his nieces and nephews Kenny, Donny, Deanna, Dana, Stacey, Kevin and David. Services were held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Covina, California.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Dennis Boyd Fuqua. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.