Dennis Lee Myers, 71, was lovingly carried into God’s heavenly kingdom at 9:07am on Sunday, December 5, 2021 while surrounded by family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He and his wife Diana had so many adventures; including trips to their home state of Michigan, Germany, Bruges, St. Thomas, Hawaii, Alaska, and all the states in between; always looking for the best baked goods and sticky buns in each locale. He enjoyed telling everyone that the best sticky buns of all time are made in Westcliffe, CO at the bakery on Main St. As he was never one to turn down a chance at adventure, he is likely walking along beaches for miles, turning over stones, and marveling at new and more glorious sunrises and sunsets as he explores new heavenly lands.
Born on February 14, 1950 in Lansing, Michigan, Dennis was preceded in death by his parents Robert Myers and Thelma (Morgan) Myers, and his brother Douglas Myers. He is survived by his wife of 44 years; Diana Lynn Myers, his three children; Sarah Wells, Crystal Kesler and Jonathan Myers; and his children by marriage or by choice; Joshua Wells, David Kesler, Charlsy Myers, Trisha Passanante, and John Passanante. He was blessed greatly by and left behind ten amazing grandchildren; Alexander Wells, Hannah Wells, Elijah Wells, Naomi Wells, Greyson Kesler, Bexley Kesler, Gabriella Myers, Danielle Myers, Lorelai Myers, and Sydney Passanante. Engineer by birth – and then verified with his B.S. from Michigan State University, he earned his M.B.A. at UCCS. He spent 2 years in the Army, half of that spent in South Korea. Dennis worked 20+ years for Litton Data Systems—the company that allowed him and Diana to move from California to Colorado Springs in 1978 where they began their family. He worked for only two other companies before retirement; Brooks Automation and Boeing. He was a dependable resource for each company whether creating solutions for devices that weren’t working as they were designed to work, meticulously de-bugging highly technical programs or improving complicated airflight issues.
At the time of Dennis’ death he had been retired for six years. He used this time to travel, fix, create and tinker with things around the house, spend time with family and grandkids or walking the neighborhood to see who he could ’catch up’ with. He spent Tuesday mornings at his favorite thrift shops after a bagel with peanut butter at Paneras. He also found great satisfaction catching and releasing his arch nemeses-pesky squirrels (“tree-rats”) that threatened his otherwise peaceful existence. The hash marks on his workshop wall indicate nearly 100 that he captured and escorted elsewhere. Dennis was always filled with curious wonder whether it was displayed through his ability to see the most intricate workings of any mechanical or electronic device, or through his infatuation with nature and the cosmos. He had a full woodworking shop in the basement and over the years created many expertly crafted pieces of furniture that were often coveted by people outside of the family but were never destined to be produced for a profit. He loved to create, and he loved to give of himself. He will be remembered not only for the love he held for his family, but for his bad dad jokes, expertly timed quips, and sometimes awkward engineer-brained social interactions that were sprinkled in between genuinely fascinating stories and shared memories. He was truly an individual, not crafted from the same mold as the rest of us, and we are so glad to have known him.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 3:00pm on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 at The Springs Vineyard Church; 4651 Centennial Blvd, Colorado Springs Colorado, 80919. In honor of this unique man we ask that you feel free to wear jeans and bright, favorite clothing that may include Hawaiian shirts, comedic shirts, or whatever you want. He wasn’t concerned with formality. He would want us to come together as humans in the same room, laughing and carrying on as best as we can, so that is what we will do.
There is plenty of room for you to write your memories of Dennis here on this site. If you feel led to give anything, the family asks for donations to Building Homes for Heroes in lieu of flowers: https://www.buildinghomesforheroes.org.
