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Dennis Wackerly Obituary
DENNIS D. Ph.D.
Dennis (Denny) Wackerly, Professor Emeritus, Department of Statistics at the University of Florida, passed away on Sunday April 21, 2019, in Gainesville, FL while under the care of Haven Hospice. He was 73.
Denny was born on September 29, 1945, in Canton, Ohio to Donald and Mildred Wackerly. After working several industrial jobs in his youth, he turned his focus to education, which ended up becoming his passion and career. Denny met the love of his life and his wife of 52 years, Joan Shepler, at the University of Dayton in 1965, on his way to earning his Bachelor of Science in mathematics and computer science in 1967. A Master's degree in statistics (1969) and Ph.D. in statistics (1973) from Florida State University followed, leading to an Assistant Professor position at the University of Florida in 1973. He was named Associate Professor and granted tenure in 1977, then promoted to Professor in 1986. Denny also served as Associate Chair of the Department of Statistics from 1992 to 2000.
During his 35 years at the University of Florida, Denny was a renowned teacher of statistics. His teaching, mentoring and encouragement helped thousands of students throughout the years. Denny received the Teacher of the Year award from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1992. One of his favorite roles was serving as the Undergraduate Coordinator, helping to grow the undergraduate statistics major as an option for mathematically talented students. Denny was also the lead author on the four most recent editions of the highly regarded textbook, 'Mathematical Statistics with Applications', used by many universities across the U.S. and around the world.
Denny always made time to be a loving father, throwing batting practice and timing countless swim meets along the way. He was an avid golfer, and enjoyed traveling whenever he could. Despite his FSU education, Denny was a passionate fan of the Florida Gators and often enjoyed going to football, basketball and baseball games with his friends and family.
Denny was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Joan, and two sons, David (Lynn) and Daniel (Kim). He also leaves behind his beloved granddaughter, Lauren.
A Visitation for Dr. Wackerly will be Sunday, April 28, 2019 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Milam Funeral Home in Gainesville. On Monday, April 29th a Graveside Service will be held at 10:00 a.m. at Evergreen Cemetery, 401 SE 21st Avenue Gainesville.
Arrangements are under the care of MILAM FUNERAL AND CREMATION SERVICES, 311 South Main Street, Gainesville, Florida,
(352) 376-5361. www.milamfh.com
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Dennis Wackerly
Sponsored by Gainesville.com.
RAFAEL ROMAN
December 31, 2022
He was an excelent professor .... I love the way he used, in order to teach..... It was amzyng the way he used to do difficult topics ...so easy.
I was he student in math stat I and II, by 1994
Vivek Ajmani
September 25, 2021
Easily one of the best professors that I have had in my life. His two courses in Theoretical Statistics imparted knowledge that I still retain to this day...29 years later.
Rodrigo Osorio
November 23, 2020
Dr. Wackerly was one of the best professors I had. He had a great talent for teaching. My condolences to his family for their loss.
Jane Pendergast
May 8, 2019
Joan and family, Alan Agresti sent me an email to let me know that Denny had passed on. I'm so sorry....
When I first came to UFL, Denny was so welcoming and helped me tremendously as the only female faculty member in the department. (Others did as well, of course, but I remember how kind and helpful he was). He was that friend to me (and I to him) for so many years, and my life was enriched by both him and you. When I was invited to our first lasagne dinner, where 'spouses' brought food and 'single men' brought drinks, Nancy Scheaffer gave me a choice of what to bring. I chose drinks... easy! You were there, and it was a lot of fun to meet you... and see you at other functions throughout the next 15 years. There are so many other fond remembrances....
May your good memories and the love and support of your family and friends help you throughout this period of mourning.
Jane Pendergast
JD
April 30, 2019
My sincere condolences to the family for the loss of your loved one. May prayers strengthen you and memories comfort you, and may our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loves us, comfort your hearts and "make you firm". (2 Thessalonians 2:16, 17)
April 28, 2019
Dennis was a fine teacher and someone we could count on as a reliable, conscientious faculty member. Always a cheerful positive outlook.
Will Harrison,
April 27, 2019
Lot of fun with Denny, trips to Michigan, golf weekends, golf league, and Sunday morning golf. Joan and family, I will be at St Vincent's in Jax for a family surgery on Monday, prayers are with you.
Jim Islam
Remembering Denny
Bob & Elsie Gibson
April 27, 2019
at UD 1967
Michael Madden
April 25, 2019
2011
Michael Madden
April 25, 2019
I first met Denny in 1963 in a Calculus class as freshmen at the U of Dayton. We were in the first freshman class at U of Dayton that could have Computer Science as a major. I lived with Denny and four others in off-campus housing. Several of us from the house got together at the 40th UD reunion most of us hadn't seen each other in 40 years. Not wanting to wait another 40 years, we decided to vacation together every 18 months or so. We (5 couples) have travelled to Colonial Williamsburg, Stowe, Savannah and taken two Caribbean cruises. Denny loved cruising and he always knew which days they would be serving sticky buns at breakfast. I enjoyed having Denny as a friend and classmate and as part of our travelling group. I will miss him.
Bill Pattison
April 25, 2019
I will always remember Denny's straight forward personality and his love of Gator Baseball. Rest in peace.
April 25, 2019
Joan, David and Daniel,
Mary, Chris, Matt and I are so sorry to hear of Denny's passing, he was such a great friend, husband and father. We remember so vividly, like it was yesterday being your next door neighbors on 45th ave. and how welcoming you all were to us. As they say, those were the days! We will remember him fondly and hope to see you in the near future. God bless.
Mark, Mary, Chris and Matt White
Showing 1 - 16 of 16 results
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Memorial Events
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Apr
28
Visitation
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Milam Funeral and Cremation Services311 South Main Street, Gainesville, FL 32601-1803
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Milam Funeral and Cremation Services311 South Main Street, Gainesville, FL 32601-1803
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