Wilbur R. "Rally" Dennis

He was born in New York City, NY, October 19, 1918, the son of Nelson C. and Emilie (Mattes) Dennis. He attended Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. He was a 1936 graduate of Barnard School for Boys in Riverdale, NY and a 1940 graduate of Columbia University.

Mr. Dennis resided on Long Island, NY, Bucks County, PA, and Peterborough, NH, before moving to Keene in 1994.

In 1941, during WWII, Rally enlisted as a private in the Regular Army, prior to Pearl Harbor. He was commissioned in August of 1942 and served overseas for two years with the 385th Bomb Group (B17 Aircraft) as a public relations officer. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the USAF Reserves. He was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal for a mission to Southern France, dropping supplies to the French underground on July 14, 1944.

Mr. Dennis was a past commander of Amoskeag Veterans in Peterborough. He was a member of the Monadnock Country Club in Peterborough, the Angus Lea Golf Club in Hillsboro, NH, and currently a member of Hooper Golf Club in Walpole, NH. For over twenty years, he was a member of the Altemont Lodge #26 in Peterborough.

Mr. Dennis and his wife, Lee, operated The Game Preserve in Peterborough-a museum with a collection of over 1200 early American board and card games. They were antique dealers, setting up at many antique shows in the Northeast. Rally was also a licensed auctioneer as well as a licensed real estate broker. He and Lee were one of five couples founding the American Game Collectors Association (AGCA) and were charter members of the Granite State Antique Dealers and Appraisers Association (GSAAA).

Before retiring as advertising sales executive with firms such as Stamats Publishing Company and Curtis Publishing Company, he was on the sales staff of Ladies’ Home Journal and the Saturday Evening Post. He was later associated with Ham Radio Magazine of Greenville, NH as an ad director.

He is survived by a daughter, Jo Ann Dennis Safdie of Providence, RI, a son, Bruce Nelson Dennis of Greenfield, NH, two grandsons, a great-grandson, several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife, Lillie “Lee” (Stearns) Dennis in 2002, and a daughter, Wendy R. Dennis.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 11:00 in the Foley Funeral Home (www.foleyfuneralhome.com), 49 Court Street, Keene. Rev. Ralph Booth will officiate. Family and friends are welcome. Burial will be private. There are no public calling hours.