Dennis Wayne Smitch
March 10, 1948 - November 20, 2007
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Dennis Wayne Smitch
March 10, 1948 - November 20, 2007
Obituary
DENNIS WAYNE SMITCH
March 10, 1948 – November 20, 2007
Dennis Wayne Smitch passed away November 20, 2007 at home with his son Justin Smitch 28 years, wife of 33 years Donna Smitch & mother in law Betty Packard at his side. Dennis was 59 and enjoying life to the fullest prior this fight with cancer. He was born to Colin & Barbara Smitch in Grand Junction, CO. Dennis Graduated from Mohave County High School in 1966 in Kingman, AZ.
Dennis was a blade operator for the last 18 years for Miller Blade Company in Southern California and was working the day before he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer on August 22, 2007.
In 2003 Dennis finally got his Harley Davidson Road King Classic, going on every trip he could make time for. His latest and greatest trip was riding his bike from Mission Viejo, CA to Bell Fourche, SD, meeting with friends & his son for their ride through Glacier National Park and over Beartooth Pass then back to Sturgis, SD.
He was a member of the Elks Lodge of Glenwood Springs for 36 years, The Loyal Order of Moose for 36 years, and The Operating Engineers for a total of 42 years.
He is also survived by his sister Cheryl Ann Lumbardy of Grand Junction, Colorado, niece Charlene Charles June of Swansea, Illinois, & niece Colene Chris Rowland of Grand Junction, Colorado.
Visitation will be held at O’Connor Mortuary in Laguna Hills, CA, Saturday, December 1, 2007 from 3:00 to 5:00PM. Memorial Service will be held at Phoenix Memorial Park & Mortuary in Phoenix, AZ Friday, December 7, 2007 at 10:00AM. Interment will be at National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona at 1:00PM in Phoenix, AZ.
41 responses to Dennis Wayne Smitch
Maureen Bridges says:
December 2, 2007
Donna and Justin, I am so sorry about Dennis,I’m sure you two and Cheryl will all miss him greatly. He certainly new how to fill a room and have fun. I am so thankful I got to know him and Cheryl in high school and you and Justin later on in his life. My heart and prayers go out to you. To know Dennis was to love him.
Lawrence & June Knowlton says:
December 3, 2007
Donna, Justin and Cheryl,
We want you to know we share your grief and are keeping you in our prayers.
Dennis was so like his father in many ways. Especially in his fun-loving, exuberant personality. It was always a pleasure to be in his company and we will miss him very much. With all our love.
marilyn bond says:
December 3, 2007
Justin my thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.
Your Sister in Christ,
Marilyn
Sonia & Gerrit says:
December 3, 2007
Donna and Justin,
My heart goes out to you. Dennis will be missed dearly in the family. I will especially miss his laughter and fatherly advice in the back yard around the camp fires. We sure did have good times. The memories will always be with us.
Danny & Diane Hoback says:
December 5, 2007
Donna and Justin,
Dennis’s passing causes us to reflect on the adventures with your families and friends when we lived closer together. We will always remember those as the best times of our lives as we were all “living life to the fullest”.
With Dennis leading everyone on a boating, fishing, off road trip or a weekend party we pretty much took everything for granted at the time. Eventually everyone went thier own ways and we grew apart.
We still try to relive those times with others, but they are never as good as the times we shared with you all.
It is wonderful that Dennis, Donna and Justin were able to achieve some of his lifelong ambitions before he became ill.
Danny, Diane, Kimberly and Kendall