Just finding out about Denny's passing and condolences to the family. We were coworkers at Eastman Kodak in the packaging engineering department in the mid-70's and Denny was one of the nicest people I ever worked with. We had great memories and he is sorely missed.
Rise and Barbara and family... this is long overdue, but I wanted to send my condolences. I didn't get to be around you much after high school, but loved when you visited and we had a '66 classmates luncheon/dinner with you and Denny. He was so brave in his sickness and you, Rise, were so devoted. I was in awe of you both. I was touched and moved by the love you both had for each other and kept it in such hard circumstances. May the God of peace and comfort be with your family through these hard days without him. If God lets people look down on us from Heaven, then I am sure Denny is smiling at his beloved family for how much love you are sharing with one another because of him and his life.
I and Patty send our deepest sympathies to Rise on this sad happening. God bless Dennis; we were saddened to hear of his passing. We offer prayers to Rise and family during this time.
Roger and Patty Poling
Uncle Denny.
What do you say about someone you loved once they have gone? Hopefully you said everything to them when they were here. I told Uncle Denny many things but I doubt I was adequately able to communicate the impact he had on my life and how much I loved him. As often happens when children grow and begin their own lives we didn't see much of each other over the past many years but I thought of Uncle Denny and Aunt Rise (sorry I can't figure out how to get the two dots over the "e" Aunt Rise) daily. I remember being so excited as a kid when Uncle Denny and Aunt Rise would come to Buckhannon for Christmas. You always new they were at Paw Paw's house as soon as you walked in and it smelled like them. They always smelled so good! The perfect amount of cologne and perfume. And they were always dressed so nicely and just put together. I knew I was getting a big hug from Aunt Rise and a firm handshake from Uncle Denny. In fact, Uncle Denny instilled in me the importance of a firm handshake while making eye contact. I've probably gotten many sales because of Uncle Denny. I miss those Christmases!
Uncle Denny always believed in taking great care of what you had and doing something the right way. I remember his cars and how diligently he took care of them. It didn't matter if it was 10 years old or 10 days old it looked like it just came off of the lot. While I'm sorry to say that my cars don't look like that it always makes me smile thinking of him cleaning his car out in front of the funeral home. There isn't a car detailer around that has anything on Uncle Denny.
While I don't want to write a book, there are a few other things I would like to say about Uncle Denny. Thank you for taking me to my first Nascar race! I always thought they were just a bunch of cars driving in circles until our experience at Watkins Glenn. Jeff Gordon has you to thank for another fan. Although I'm not sure Uncle Jeff was so happy about me and Nascar after spending a number of years at Bristol wondering if I was going to survive.
Thank you for giving mom a reason to keep making orange cookies. Thank you for never being afraid to eat any of the assorted chocolates. Thank you for showing me how to sleep anywhere. Thank you for the math lessons on the beach. And finally, thank you for being so handsome that you got us in National Geographic.
I love you
Doug
I met Denny and Rise when I came to The Villages through my cousin, Jack Reger, and Denny's sister and Jack's wife Barbara.
It was an honor to meet Denny and witness his courage and determination to enjoy life with his wife Rise and faithful pet Sassy.
I hope Denny is finding peace in heaven. God bless his wife and family.
