Richard Dennis

Richard Dennis—much loved husband, brother, uncle and friend—left us too soon on December 19, 2017, after a ten-month struggle with colon cancer. Richard was born on August 16, 1955, in Oklahoma City, the youngest child of Frank and Anne Dennis and the younger brother of Robert and Carol. He and Gayle Madden were married on August 30, 1986. As a young man, Richard began to quietly take classes at night at Rose State College and then graduated with a B.B.A. in accounting from the University of Oklahoma. He worked as a certified public accountant with the firm of Hammert & Bolka, now Hammert, Mikysa & Dennis. The three things Richard most enjoyed doing were marked by three remarkable relationships. His love of family is exemplified by over thirty-one years of marriage to Gayle, and time spent with the Dennis and Madden families. He also loved playing golf, his favorite partner being his older brother Robert, who he usually beat handily. His professional success as a CPA was made possible in part due to the friendship of his boss and later partner, Vikki Mikysa. Richard will be remembered for his quiet humor, for his intelligence and loyalty and for his unique way of observing, experiencing and sometimes (but not always) commenting on life. He could express his opinions about issues or situations in a way that was never judgmental or critical, even if he disagreed with others, which proved to be a useful skill as he was most often a contrarian. Richard was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Anne Dennis, and his sister, Carol Dennis Slater. He will be missed forever by his wife Gayle, his brother Robert and his wife Caroline, nieces Jennifer Dennis Dell and her husband John, and Hannah Dennis, nephew Garris Dennis and his wife Lindsay, great-nieces and nephews Norah and Isen Dell and Olive, Ford and Behr Dennis, sister-in-law Susie Dennis, Gayle's mother, Mary Madden, Gayle's sisters, Ann Davidson and her husband Kevin, Tamme Scott and her husband Larry, Tiffany Lansdell, many nieces and nephews, and dear friends Vikki and Ivan Mikysa. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be made to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, the American Cancer Society, or the charity of your choice. Visitation will be held from 10am-8pm Thursday, December 21, 2017 with family present from 6-7pm at the funeral home. Funeral services will be held at 10:00am on Saturday, December 23, 2017, at Smith & Kernke 23rd Street Chapel, (1401 N.W. 23rd Street, Oklahoma City), followed by a private burial at Sunny Lane Cemetery.