Dr. David Roy Denny

Dr. David Roy Denny, 72, of Henry's Point, Accomac, VA, was welcomed into the arms of his Lord and Savior on Sunday, October 5, 2025. In a way most fitting to his life's calling, David was serving in ministry when he was called home – offering compassion, guidance, and peace to a grieving family, just as he had done faithfully for decades.
The only son of the late Earl LeeRoy Denny and Willie Mae Branch Denny, David was welcomed into this earthly world on March 21, 1953 at Turner Air Force Base in Albany, GA. As the child of a military family, he traveled the world with his parents and sisters, living in both Germany and Japan before returning stateside, where he graduated from Gar-Field Senior High School in Woodbridge, VA in 1971. Answering God's call to ministry, David pursued theological education with steadfast determination. In 1975, he earned his undergraduate degree from Liberty University, during which time he became a founding member of the university's first basketball team, an achievement he always cherished. David continued his studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he completed a Master of Divinity, and in 1985, received a Ph.D. in New Testament Studies.
Dr. Denny's ministry spanned more than four decades and reflected his deep love for the Word of God and for the people of God. He began as a church planter with the Illinois Baptist Convention and went on to lead many churches on the East Coast, faithfully nurturing congregations and shepherding souls with humility and grace. His ministry took him to various places of service, always marked by an unwavering commitment to preaching, teaching, and living out the Gospel. In 2016, he accepted the call to serve as pastor of Drummondtown Baptist Church on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. From his first days there, he felt embraced by the congregation and knew that he had truly found his home in ministry.
A scholar at heart, Dr. Denny was an avid reader and lifelong learner. In addition to his formal theological training, he studied languages with remarkable discipline, becoming well-versed in ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. His dedication to biblical study informed every aspect of his preaching and teaching, leaving behind a testimony of faith that will continue to inspire.
Beyond the pulpit, David was a man of wide-ranging gifts and endless curiosity. He was a talented musician who played piano, guitar, and trumpet. He was also an outdoorsman and craftsman, building oyster cages for his own harvests, tending fruit and nut trees in his yard, kayaking, golfing, fishing, swimming, and delighting in God's creation. An author of many books, a builder, a gardener, and a lover of new technology, there was little he could not do once he set his mind to it.
Though ministry was his calling and scholarship his passion, Dr. Denny was equally devoted to his family. He was a loving husband, father, and grandfather, whose patience, kindness, and steady presence guided and blessed his family. His legacy of faith and love will continue to live on in the hearts of his family and all who were blessed to know him.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Alice Tyree Denny; children, Jessica Rose "Jessie" Puglisi and her husband, Philip, and Nathaniel David "Nate" Denny, all of Suffolk, VA, and Jonathan Andrew "Jon" Denny and his wife, Jessie, of Chesapeake, VA; grandchildren, Rafael Martinez and Lily Mae and Charlie Denny; and sisters, Ellen Denny Mott of Richmond, VA, and C laire Denny of Florida; and several nieces and nephews and their families. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his brother-in-law, Randy Mott.
A service of worship and celebration for the life and ministry of Dr. Denny will be held at Drummondtown Baptist Church, in Accomac, on Saturday, October 11, 2025 at 2:00 p.m., with The Reverends Robert Coniglio and Sherri Brown officiating. There will be a visitation at the church one hour prior to the service. Interment will be held at Chesapeake Memorial Gardens, in Chesapeake, VA.
Contributions may be made in his memory to Drummondtown Baptist Church, c/o Susan Mears, 25081 Serenity Lane, Onancock, VA 23417.
Memory tributes may be shared with the family at www.williamsfuneralhomes.com.
Arrangements by the Williams Funeral Homes, Onancock and Parksley, VA.
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