Dennis Howard Cady

MANSFIELD

Dennis Howard Cady age 75, of Mansfield, CT passed away on March 13, 2025, at Windham Hospital surrounded by his family. Dennis was pre-deceased by his parents, Howard and Harriet Cady of North Windham, and a brother, Douglas Cady, of New Hampshire. He is survived by two children, a son, William Cady, wife, Michele, of Glastonbury, CT, and two grandsons, Noah and Samuel, as well as a daughter, Cheryl Nadeau, husband, Vinnie, also of Glastonbury, and two granddaughters, Sophia and Isabelle. Dennis is also survived by two sisters, Joyce Cady (Bob Harrington) of Boiling Springs, South Carolina, and Susan (Cady) Cope of Appomattox, VA.

Dennis was a proud veteran of the US Army and served in Vietnam from 1967-1970 assigned to D Company, 36th Engineers as a Heavy Equipment Mechanic, and worked all over the Mekong Delta building two major supply roads over rice paddies and clearing acres of jungle using Rome plows and Caterpillar D8's. When 9/11 happened, he said he would enlist again if his age had not been a deterrent.

His fascination with vehicles started as a young man with a love of Corvettes and owned several of them during his lifetime. He also enjoyed motorcycles and loved his Harley. Dennis was forever tinkering with his vehicles and it later turned into a hobby of restoring old tractors and mowers. He restored old Panzer tractors and got a thrill out of seeing them returned to their original condition.

Dennis was much like his father, Howard, in that he could never be still. He always had to have something to do and needed to keep himself busy building or making things. One of his greatest accomplishments was building an Ultralight airplane in his apartment. He built the plane taking care to make sure every piece fit exactly the way it should and most importantly, the way he wanted it to. Due to his desire for perfection, the Ultralight became a work of art. He loved that plane and flew it for quite some time, even flying with a group to New York. Dennis loved planes and made sure to attend many annual air shows all over the country where he met and befriended some aerobatic pilots who would later allow him to fly with them when they practiced. Dennis also built radio-controlled planes and again, his attention to detail made his creations one-of-a-kind pieces of art.

Staying with a flying theme, Dennis had a fondness for birds and had several Conures and Cockatiels as pets. He spent time volunteering at Horizon Wings in Ashford, CT.

Dennis enjoyed eating and had a voracious appetite. He loved good food and family picnics. When visiting his younger sister, he would often have midnight raids on her pantry foraging for food and used to tell her that she kept the best goodies in her pantry and refrigerator. In the morning, he would regal her with the quantity of peanut butter sandwiches he had eaten as well as cupcakes and other sweet goodies he was able to get his hands on.

Anyone who knew Dennis was well aware of his colorful sense of humor and he often enjoyed a laugh, even at his own expense. He was quite a practical joker and once completely wrapped his brother-in-law's car in shrink wrap as a means to get even with him. There were always plenty of laughs with Dennis.

Dennis will be missed by his family as well as his many friends and acquaintances. Look to the sky and you might catch a glimpse of him cloud dancing.

A private graveside memorial service will be held in the Spring at St. Peter's Cemetery in Hebron, CT. Anyone wishing to make a memorial contribution in his name should consider donating to The Rhode Island Parrot Rescue, 173 Washington St., West Warwick, RI 02893, or to Horizon Wings, 9 Sand Hill Rd., Ashford, CT 06278

Dennis Howard Cady