Darrell Roy Dennis

Darrell Roy Dennis was born February 23, 1958, in Dos Palos, California, to Robert and Helen Dennis. He was the youngest of 4 children. He went to be with Jesus on April 27, 2025, following a massive heart attack on February 11th and a couple of months of trying his best to fully recover. Darrell graduated from Maryvale High School in 1976, was married soon afterwards, and then went to Nazarene Bible College in Colorado for a year. He returned to Phoenix due to a complicated pregnancy. His first daughter, Joy, was born in 1977, and her twin was miscarried. Another daughter, Jill, was born in 1981. His wife left, and they were divorced in 1988. He met Lisa Henson at Faith Chapel Church of the Nazarene, and they married June 3, 1989. Lisa had a daughter named Katie who was born in 1983. Darrell and Lisa promptly cross-adopted each other's kids and had 2 more kids-Matthew in 1990 and Amy in 1992-and the family was complete. Darrell worked a few different jobs in his younger years, then began his career in IT. He worked for Honeywell for 12 years until they moved their operations back east. He worked for PCS/PDS/Walsh America (they kept changing their name) for 9 years and then began working at Arizona Public Service in preparation for Y2K and stayed for 20 years. He and his wife Lisa retired together from APS in 2020, just in time to do home projects during COVID. He was always extremely active at his church, Turning Leaf Church of the Nazarene: heading up hospitality; serving on the church board, building and finishing committees; cleaning; and volunteering at events. He also loved traveling with his wife, spending time at their cabin in Prescott, and most of all spending time with their kids and grandkids, attending all of their activities, playing games, and having family dinners. Darrell was known for his servant's heart. He loved to cook for and feed people, making them feel welcomed and loved both at his home and at his church. He had a gift of anticipating what people might want or need, and then he would work miracles to provide it. He was great at decorating and making things look beautiful too. His weddings and parties and Christmas decorating were legendary. He was also known for his love for his family and friends and showered us with good food, thoughtful gifts, awesome hugs, and a great smile and sense of humor. He loved being a grandpa/papa and a dad and felt that the Lord had blessed him beyond measure. Darrell is survived by his wife of 35 years, Lisa Dennis, his daughter Amy (Cody) Abrahamson, his son Matthew (Joni) Dennis, his daughter Katie (Jon) Manning, his daughter Jill (Tom) Saillant, and his daughter Joy Dennis. He is also survived by 11 beautiful grandchildren: Micah, Josiah, Riley, & Emma Abrahamson; Jackson, Oliver, & Isaiah Dennis; Julian & Elliott Manning; and Keira & Kylee Saillant. He is also survived by his sister Cheryl (Ronnie) Chapman, his sister Yvonne (Forrie) Wilcox, and his brother Wesley (Sandi "Jane") Dennis and many nieces and nephews. Darrell was predeceased by his parents Robert & Helen Dennis. A celebration of life service will be held on Sunday, May 18, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at: Turning Leaf Church of the Nazarene 5800 N. Litchfield Rd. Litchfield Park, AZ 85340 A dinner featuring "Darrell's" Mexican food to follow A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at: Resthaven Park Cemetery 6450 W. Northern Ave. Glendale, AZ 85301 All are welcome to attend either or both services. In lieu of flowers, donations to Turning Leaf Church's Building Fund in Darrell's memory are welcome. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Darrell, please visit our floral store.