Dennis Lloyd Townsend

Dennis Lloyd Townsend, 79, passed away suddenly at home in Jamaica Beach, TX on June 29, 2026. He was born on July 30, 1946 in Baytown, TX where he attended Robert E. Lee High School and went on to study Business at Sam Houston State University, graduating in 1969 with a BBA degree. While in college, he met and married Mary F. Mayfield. A son, Scott Morris Townsend was born in 1974. Dennis loved his family.

Between 1976 and 1985, he worked in Human Resources and Payroll for various oilfield companies in the Houston/Baytown area. In 1986, he met a fellow fishing enthusiast, his wife of 40 years, Marcia J. “Marcy” Moloy. Together it was the beginning of a formidable fishing team.

Most of all, Dennis loved fishing for largemouth bass and winning tournaments. He was a member of the Southwest Houston Bass Club and was especially proud of winning “Top Six” with his buddies in the club. Through the influence of wife and friends, he became interested in saltwater fishing mostly for speckled trout and red drum in coastal bays from Baytown, TX south to Port Mansfield, TX.

Dennis had a lifelong passion for classic automobiles and was a proud member of the Convertibles of Houston. He had a particular fondness for the iconic 1950s "Shoebox" Fords. Among his prized possessions was a customized, flamed-out 1950 Ford featuring its original flathead engine, a push-button start, and a three-on-the-tree manual transmission. Dennis traveled throughout the United States, showcasing his car at numerous competitions and earning multiple awards. In 1991, he received the International Show Car Association's Radical Post-War Convertible award.

In 1993, he moved offshore to the US Virgin Islands (St. Croix) due to changing oilfield employment opportunities. Dennis turned to other hobbies, SCUBA diving and spearfishing. He was a successful underwater fisherman snaring lobster and accurately spearing large, 50 pound fish. He was a PADI Dive Master and ran a “six pack” dive boat for 2 years between oilfield contracts. He was a Merchant Marine and a US Coast Guard licensed Captain achieving the title “100 Ton Master” in 1996.

He returned to Houston in 1998 to work for another oilfield service company before retiring in 2002. He continued to fish local bays and especially enjoyed his brand new 22’ tunnel hull Blue Wave boat. His favorite lures were the silver Rattle Trap, green and white spinner baits, and any chartreuse-tipped soft plastic with a wiggle for saltwater.

In 2005, he bought a brand-new white Harley-Davidson Softail motorcycle. He rode that bike across America from ocean to ocean, across Canada and the Northwest Territories, parts of Mexico, and nearly a dozen Caribbean islands including Cuba. In total, he rode over 350,000 miles. Like Johnny Cash sings, Dennis Townsend “has been everywhere”. He also attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally 20 consecutive years in a row.

Dennis loved miniature Schnauzers. The first was a solid black Schnauzer rescued from the Baytown dog catcher he named “Cruiser”, then “Lucky”, and currently “Ranger”. Losing each pet was oh so heart-breaking.

He was preceded in death by his parents H. Lloyd Townsend and Gertrude L. “Mickey” Townsend, younger brother Gary L. Townsend, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Marcia J. “Marcy” Moloy of Jamaica Beach, TX, son Scott M. Townsend and his wife, April, of Cypress, TX, grandchildren Garrett M. Townsend of Houston, TX and Mary Ashleigh Townsend of College Station, TX.

A celebration of his life will be held Wednesday, July 22, 2026. Visitation at 1:00pm, Service at 2:00pm, with reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorial donations be made to Friends for Wishes, benefiting Make-A-Wish, in honor of Dennis. Donations may be made online at https://www.friendsforwishes.org/donate.