Dennis W. Meredith

Dennis W. Meredith, 78, of Jacksonville, FL, passed away on April 28, 2023 surrounded by his loving family following a two-year battle against leukemia. Denny was born in Indianapolis, IN on May 14, 1944, an only child and gift to his parents, Raymond & Evelyn, on Mother’s Day. The family moved to Louisville, KY in 1947, returning to the state where generations of Merediths can be traced back in Allen County, just outside of Bowling Green. Denny has many memories and told countless stories about growing up in post WWII America during the 1950s. He played sandlot baseball, rode his bike to the nearest White Castle, and spent hours in the basement listening to Cincinnati Reds games on his transistor radio while meticulously recording the statistics of each inning. As a teenager he worked as a paperboy for the Louisville Courier Journal and the Louisville Times, a job he called his favorite, despite the early hours and cold mornings, because he enjoyed interacting with people as they went about their daily lives. Denny graduated from DuPont Manual High School in 1962 and then moved with his parents out to the suburbs across the street from Joanna Jones. The family joke was she had never mowed the grass a day in her life, but suddenly became a professional landscaper once Denny moved in. They were married on June 5, 1964 and Denny began his career at the L&N Railroad while completing his business degree at the University of Louisville in the evenings, graduating in 1973. In 1981, the family relocated to Jacksonville when Denny was transferred to work for Seaboard Coastline Railroad, later CSX Transportation, retiring in 2000. Denny was a member of First Baptist Church Jacksonville, a member of Retired Administrators of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company (RABO), and a volunteer marshall on hole one at the Players Championship for 20 years. A careful observer and endless repository of facts and details, Denny was a formidable family room Jeopardy contestant, particularly if the category was sports related, but especially baseball, football, or golf, presidential biographies, and always making it a true daily double if the category was trains.

A kind and patient husband, father, and grandfather, Denny and his excellent pancakes & unsurpassed grilled cheese sandwiches will be missed tremendously by his family. He is survived by his loving wife Joanna of 58 years; his son Clark Meredith (Lynne); his daughter Suzanna Palmer (Doug); his daughter Amy Meredith Byrd (Jeff) and grandchildren: David Palmer (Jane), Kent Meredith (Elaina), Molly Davis (Nick), Kevin Palmer (Mandy), Brooks Meredith, & Evan, Oliver, and Elliot Byrd. He is preceded in death by his son, David Jonathan Meredith.

A service will be held at Fruit Cove Baptist Church (501 State Rd 13, St Johns, FL 32259) on May 2, 2023; visitation begins at 10:30 AM; the service begins at 11:30 AM with a reception following.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hgmandarin.com for the Meredith family.