All ten grandchildren laughed and played in the living room while Dennis was surrounded by his four boys and comforted by his wife Kathy as the near ten-year battle with his brain tumor drew to a close. After a few hours of sharing memories that filled the air with significant amounts of both tears and laughter, Dennis gave one last smile to his family then peacefully passed away at 1:40 on the morning of December 7th. His life began on May 23, 1950 when Dennis was born to Charles “Bud” McConnehey and Mary Ann Henderson in Spokane, Washington.
He was the second child behind his sister Patricia (Walsh), and would be followed by Bruce (Cheryl), and Kathy “Ace”. His father served in the Navy, so Dennis spent portions of his childhood in San Diego CA, Port Townsend WA, and Yokohama Japan. He then went on to serve in the New Zealand Auckland mission, where he found a lifelong love of the Māori people and culture.
After his mission he went on to study at Southwestern University in Chula Vista, CA. After graduation he had the privilege of working in the Book of Mormon Pavilion at the Spokane World Fair. Dennis then went on to study at Brigham Young University where he met some of his closest friends.
Near that time he was set up on a blind date with Kathleen Dee Johnson. A short three weeks later in what proved the most important and smartest decision he would make, he proposed marriage to her and they were married just three months later on July 13, 1978. While Dennis had a number of close friends throughout his life, his best friends were his boys and later their wives: Chris and Noni, Tim and Wendy, Greg and Itze, and Sam and… TBD.
Although by profession he was an accomplished software engineer credited with articles in top publications, his most important work was helping his boys learn and grow. He always involved his boys in his hobbies (and his boys’ hobbies would become his), whether it was woodworking, restoring classic cars, home improvement projects, photography, music, or art. He lived to serve others.
Many dinners were abandoned, left untouched on the table, as he would jump at the opportunity to help a neighbor. He could always be counted on to help, although those he assisted would have to suffer through his signature “Dennis Jokes”. He found an audience with an appreciation for his sense of “humor” in the scouting program where he served many years and helped all four of his sons earn the rank of Eagle Scout.
Life was jolted in January 2009 when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, but he took things in stride and kept us laughing at every step that followed. He was regularly found in his shop refining his woodturning skills and creating projects that resulted in many County and State Fair awards. During this time he was also frequently found serving in the Jordan River Temple.
His final years were some of the most rewarding as he welcomed his grandchildren: Henry, Oliver, Charles, and William (Chris and Noni); Abagaile, Paul “Poe,” Olivia, and Emet (Tim and Wendy); and Vincent and Diego (Greg and Itze). We are so grateful to the many friends who share our love for Dennis. We are also grateful for our friends at Elevation Hospice, especially Bonnie, Patti, Michael, Fernanda, Juliann and Heather, who were instrumental in his last months.
Dennis’s life will be honored on Saturday, December 15th at Noon at the LDS Church at 2666 West 7000 South in West Jordan, Utah. A viewing will precede the services starting at 10:30 am. He will then be interred at the West Jordan City Cemetery located at 1300 West 7800 South.
A viewing will also be held Friday evening, December 14, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the LDS Church at 6695 South 2200 West, West Jordan, Utah. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you share your favorite “Dennis Joke” or another memory that can later be incorporated into a book through which his young grandchildren will better know him. They can be shared at www.
DennisJokes.com.
If you found any mistakes, or you would like to add/remove to this obituary, please contact us by email: info@obituary.memorial. We never ask money for this.
