The youngest of three brothers, Bryan was born on April 2nd, 1958, to William Dale Dennison and Elva Jane Dennison (nee Linnen). Bryan’s bustling family soon grew to include three younger sisters and he grew up in the company of his five brothers and sisters. Bryan’s childhood was spent between school years in Denver and summers in the mountains of Gilpin County, where the family built a cabin near the town of Black Hawk. His love for the Colorado mountains and wild places developed early and remained with him for the rest of his life.
Bryan graduated from Denver’s South High School in 1976 where he was active in ROTC. Following in his father’s footsteps, Bryan joined the United States Army, where his life as a soldier shaped his identity and his love of country. During his enlistment, he traveled to Texas, Kansas, and Georgia, and was deployed to Germany, where he worked with a field artillery unit in the shadow of the Cold War.
As a young man Bryan married Lori Ann Mortimer and together they had a daughter, Shannon Elaine Dennison. Bryan and Lori later divorced, but he maintained a close relationship with his daughter. Throughout her childhood, Bryan took Shannon on adventures throughout Colorado and the American West, passing on his love of history, National Parks, and the Rocky Mountains. As an adult, Shannon made this into her career, and Bryan delighted in visiting her and sharing stories about her work in history and archaeology.
Bryan had a wide variety of interests and, upon being honorably discharged from the Army, was challenged to settle on a particular career path. He again followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the security force at Rocky Flats nuclear plant while simultaneously earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Metropolitan State University in Denver. Bryan remained at Rocky Flats until the plant closed in 1992. During this time he met and married his second wife, Pam, and became stepfather to Caleb and Charis. Bryan relocated with them to Jacksonville, Florida, but homesickness and his love for Colorado eventually drew the family back to Denver.
His second marriage later ended and Bryan took on a new career as a tow truck driver. Bryan loved the work because it gave him the chance to help people, and he loved aiding stranded strangers and refusing payment when people found themselves in a bind. The work and lifestyle eventually took a toll on his health, and after the sudden passing of his father, Bryan took over as a caregiver for his disabled brother and his aging mother.
In 2011, with the birth of his grandson Porter Dennison, Bryan took on a new and cherished role as grandpa. When Shannon returned to work after maternity leave, Bryan cared for Porter full time and they formed and extremely close bond. Porter remained the light of his life to the end.
Bryan will be remembered for his generous spirit, his breadth of knowledge, his love of Colorado, his passion for history, and his love for his family and close friends.
Bryan was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Elva, his eldest brother David, and his niece, Jessica. He is survived by his daughter Shannon, grandson Porter, son-in-law Daniel, step-granddaughters Meryl and Madison, his brother Kevin, sister-in-law Mary, sisters Gayle and Susan, nephew Christopher, great-nieces and nephew Chloe, Lacey, and William, and his dear friend Beth.
Funeral services will be held on Sunday, July 7th, 2019, at 9:30 am in the Olinger pavilion at Crown Hill Cemetery. An informal gathering for friends and family will take place at a local park pavilion following services. In lieu of flowers, Bryan would have loved to see donations in his memory made to the Denver Mountain Parks Foundation.
DONACIONES
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
v.1.9.5