Thomas Dennis Obituary

Remembering you every day, Tommy. In my thoughts and in my dreams. Love, Ann.

Tommy, you will never be forgotten. Thinking of you often . Love, Aunt Janet

I'm listening to a sad song, and makes me twice as sad that you left us at such a young age. With Love, Aunt Pat

Still thinking about you every day Tommy..your warm brown eyes and devilish grin..your jokes, impersonations, and infectious laugh are always in my head. Joey would've loved his uncle tommy so much. I wish he couldve met you. Sometimes he'll make a little rascal-like face that reminds me of you! It's hilarious! I'm sure they're taking good care of ya up there and I'm sure if you could give us a sign things are good, you would :) so I will keep my eyes, ears, mind and heart open for now. Love and miss you every minute of every hour of every day <3 <3

Dear Tommy, I can still remember your friendly face and manner. You are really missed. Love, Aunt Pat

Tommy, I did not know you. I have known your dad and aunts since we were children. I wish that I had known you. Rest in Peace!

Like an ever lasting flame, our loving memories of you Tommy will burn in our hearts forever.

Happy Birthday Tommy. We will never forget you and the laughter and love that you brought into our lives. You will be with us always in our hearts until we meet again. Love, Aunt Janet

Happy Birthday Tommy! I miss you. I have been thinking about you all day today.

Love,
Tracy

The other day, I was cleaning out some folders and came across a beautiful Christmas photo taken a few years ago of Tommy, Yoshiko and their two little girls. I felt like crying when I saw how happy they were, and his message for the new year about how well he was feeling. Hope this isn't too depressing. Aunt Pat

Another year where we will all greatly miss our Tommy. Even your old friends haven't forgotten you, we never will Tommy. Dan Wascher

See you again someday Tommy! Give Grandma a big hug and kiss from all of her kids and grandkids. We all miss and love you.
Aunt Janet

The last time I saw Tommy, I was wishing I had gotten a chance to get to know him better when I was a kid. I never knew him very well, which may have been due very largely in part because of the age gap between us. My sisters were always part of the "big kids" along with Tommy. I was always at a different table at Thanksgiving dinner, in a different car on road trips, or in a different stage of my life. The last time I saw him, when I finally no longer considered either of us to be a "kid," the age gap didn't seem to be so much. I was disappointed that so many years had gone by without ever talking to or getting to know Tommy. Even in his most difficult times, he was smiling and fun-loving, someone who seemed to really want to get the most out of life. This is how I think everyone should feel about life. Enjoy it, get the most out of it, live every day like it's your last. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for Tommy.

We miss you Tommy.

It's almost 2am and I just have alot of thoughts so I will write them down and hopefully sleep! The photo I am submitting is not a very flattering pic of Tommy, and I'm sorry, but I cannot help but laugh when I look at it because it basically sums our relationship up in a single photo. I am grateful to have seen the huge transformation Tommy underwent over the past 5-6 years becoming a husband, father, etc. He went from my pesky, teasing brother to a brother who was caring and very protective. I feel lucky to have known the real loving person underneath all that goofiness, we did love his goofiness too though, haha, never a dull moment. It still sometimes doesn't feel as though he is gone. It feels more like he is on some fabulous vacation far away, which I guess is true in a way. I just wish we could at least receive a postcard, telling us how great he's doing. In the meantime, we will always have our photos, stories, memories of the good ol days. Not a night goes by without thinking of you Tommy. Until we meet again, you are forever in our aching hearts...

I miss Tommy like no day tomorrow. He was one of the most important people in my life. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be the person who I am today. He spoiled me rotten as a kid, and picked on me like how every sibling does to their little sister/brother. If I had a decision, I would have him pick on me right now just like back then. If I could have my older brother back, I would give anything. I love you, Tommy. I miss you so much.

I only met you once Tom and I was proud to have you as a cousin.

Happy Birthday Tommy!

Being as your birthday is only two days before mine, in the future when I blow out the candles on my birthday cake, I will always think of you!
You will never be forgotten. I will always love you and miss you.

Eternal Love
Aunt Janet

Ugh, I haven't written until now because I couldn't face the feelings of how I would feel. Tommy, my wonderful cousin, I will miss you deeply and forever. Ok, I guess it doesn't matter how long you wait, it is still hard. I loved your sense of humor and personality. I use to look forward to getting to visit Tommy because of the thrill of his presence. I had so much fun everytime he was around. It would be this uplifting joy in my heart everytime I heard that we were going to see each other. I will miss those late night phone calls in the middle of the night, when I would jump up from my sleep and run down the stairs to answer the phone because I knew it was Tommy and he wanted to talk. Honestly, I have no regrets, I am so glad I got to come to visit last summer, that means the world to me. I am also glad I got to come again for the services. Even though we are so broke, God came through and made it possible for us. I am happy you are in heaven Tommy but I selfishly wish you were here so I can hear you laugh again. I am following through with my promise to you Tommy, I talked to Tina on the phone the other day! Such sweet beautiful little girls. You told me you wanted more than anything for us to keep in contact with your little family and make sure they would be ok, and I am, I assure you. I still can't do this, it's really hard. I love you Tommy!

I am so proud, and always have been proud to have Tommy as my brother. As long as I can remember I have always looked up to him and wanted to be like him. He always had such an energy around him. "HAPPY" is how he made everyone feel. He made me laugh harder than I ever laughed in my life. It is so hard for me to except that my brother is gone. Even though we were there when he passed, it sometimes feels like he is still here. Tommy was such a big part of our family that when we are together now, it feels like there is a huge hole missing. As if there were a group of people missing. I thank God that we were able to have him for the short 29 years that we did, but wish it were 99. Not a day goes by that I don't think of Tommy, and what funny things he would say and what fun we would have if he were still here.
Rest in peace my beloved brother and thankyou for everything.

I just found out this evening of the passing of Tom. Last i talked to him was just before he passed away. It's hard to believe this world can go on without our Tommy! We miss him greatly, and will always keep him in our prayers, In memory of Tom!!! Atleast we can all be assured he's in good hands. To ALL of his family and friends, and anyone he ever came in contact with, we send our prayers! WOW, 4 sacraments in one day!

I do not believe that I have ever met Thomas, and from reading everyone's entries, he sounds like a wonderful man that I wish I could meet. I am very sad for your loss, and I feel a loss at not being able to know this beautiful soul.

: I never knew Tommy's middle
name was "Francis" Who would
ever name their son that!!!
Anyway that is what I will
to Tommy the next time I see
him. Death is a journey that
all of us will take if we
want to or not. The only
difference is that Tommy had
time to pack for it and make
reservations for the beswt
of the best seats in the
house. Most of us will take
what ever is available at
the time of our arrival. I
know I will start packing.
He reminded me of that.
Last time I saw Tommy was at
the camping trip 10 years
ago!! " Things that make you
go HUMMMMM" I'll miss his
laughter and that stupid
smile he wore all the time.

Uncle Russ

God saw you getting tired
and a cure was not to be,
so he put his arms around you,
and whispered "Come to me".
With tearful eyes we watched you,
and saw you pass away.
Although we loved you dearly,
we could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
hard working hands at rest,
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best.

Dearest Tommy was so open and friendly...I couldn't imagine why he liked me and his Uncle Paul so much...guess I didn't know that he was sweet and kind to everyone he met. He was a dear soul who will be very much missed. Love Aunt Pat & Uncle Paul

I just wanted to add a few things to what I said in my cards to you Yoshiko and to you Tom and Darlene: In my telephone talks with young Tom I came to appreciate what a remarkable person he was. He and I shared a common bond from our battles with cancer and although my battle had been longer, his was more severe, far-reaching and painful. Throughout it all though he rarely complained to me when he had every right to, and he remained as upbeat and optimistic as possible. If medals for bravery and courage were awarded for this type of battle, young Tom would be at the the front of the line. Sharon and I are deeply saddened by his death.

My best wishes to all the Dennis family and those who know and love Thomas. May you find comfort from those around you. Much love and consideration from your cousin in Utah.

As my younger brother, Tommy was always trying to be like me, which is ironic since I’ve always wanted to be like him.

When I moved out to Las Vegas in 1996, the Dennis family was like my adoptive family. Tommy was that older brother figure that would make me laugh but teased me at the same time. I have fond memories with him of playing Tetris for days on end, riding around in his red Grand Am, playing pool/ping pong, bbqs but can’t forget that spit he would always put on his finger and stick in my ear, only Tommy! We were roommates for a few months, I remember getting up early for work as he would be coming home from work and we always had great talks every morning that meant a lot to me.
He showed himself as a great husband, father, brother, son and friend. My saying in life is “Everything always happens for a reason” but in this case I can not figure why this happened to someone so young and determined. He was one of a kind and will be truly missed. My thoughts go out to his family too.

I am going to miss you, Tommy! You were one of the most pleasurable people to be around. I have had more laughs with you, (in addition to some of my other counsins) than anyone else. What can I say, the Dennis family has always been a bunch of goofballs-(in a good way)!

Some of my most valued memories of Tommy are Thanksgiving and Easter. Every Easter, I'd excitedly jump out of our car to see my cousins! It never failed, each year, Tommy greeted me with blue lips. He had those color coated, chocolate, Easter egg, candies and he would lick them and rub them on his lips. The first year that he discovered his new make-up, he licked the egg and tried to give me blue lips! No thank you!

I always think of Tommy on Thanksgiving because Thanksgiving has never been the same ever since he moved to Vegas. I remember Tommy and Bryan claiming that they purposely threw up in the bathroom so that they could eat more. After that year, they both continplated doing it again. Another funny memory of Thanksgiving was when Tommy would take the unwanted food from his Thanksgiving dinner plate and throw it onto somebody elses' plate so that he could run upstairs and grab more turkey and mashed potatos. In the meantime, while Tommy was upstairs, unwanted food would circle the table, from plate to plate, at the kids table. Eventually, the food would end up on the floor or else it would be brought back to the parents by Laura or Kristi, while they were crying. That was our Thanksgiving tradition. No wonder why our table was always set up downstairs and placed upon the tile flooring. Does anyone remember the Easter that was hosted by Aunt Mary and Uncle Roy when Tommy tripped Laura while playing Octupus? She got a bloody nose. A little while after that, we were playing hide and seek and Tommy hid in Grandma's closet. Grandma came in and started to get undressed when she spotted Tommy sitting behind some clothes with his eyes clenched tight. I think that was the first time I ever heard Grandma say, "Oh my God", rather than, "Oh my Golly!"

The Bozo Show is a video where Tommy always cracks me up. When the audience was singing the 12 Days of Christmas, Tommy would stand up and grab the "8 Ladies Dancing" sign from Tracy's hands.

As a teenager, Tommy and Bryan convinced me to spend the night at their house and sneak out with them at night. The highlight of that night was watching Tommy take garbage bags from the curb and stack them in the back of pick-up trucks that were parked in driveways. That night came to an end when we were walking in front of the police department and the police picked us up and called our parents. I'll never forget the big beady eyes on our parents faces' when they arrived!

Tommy was one of the most pleasurable people to be around because he was so happy and full of jokes. He never stressed himself over things and he never bad talked people. He had a well rounded great personality! I always had a smile on my face while I was in Tommy's presence!

Tommy is in Heaven now, looking down upon us all and I'm sure that he is waiting to see our tears turn back into smiles. Tommy suffered so much since he became ill, and now he isn't suffering anymore. My family and I will continue to pray for everyone, especially for Aunt Dalene, Uncle Tom, Bryan, Kristi, Laura, Ann, Yoshiko and Tommy's little bundle of joys! I'm so sorry everyone.

I only met Tommy a few times, but I felt that I knew him quite well from listening to his Aunt Janet, who loved him very much. She started talking about him frequently about two years ago.
I followed the last years of his life through her stories about him. I knew of his many ups and downs, happy days and not so good days. She would tell me about how he struggled to live in spite of his suffering, so that he could spend as much time as possible with his wife and children. He must have really loved them.
Yes, he was a rascal when he was young, but as rascals often do, he grew up to be a responsible, loving Family man.
God bless Yoshiko, Tina, Mia, his Mom and Dad and the rest of the family. Only time will heal.

The last time I seen Tom, he had come into Chicago to see his family. Tom is my cousin's Tom son and he came to our Christmas get together. He visited with the whole family and , at the time he was struggling with swallowing food. My heart went out to him because he was determined to fight this cancer that invaded his body.

He was smiling and enjoying the visit with all and spoke of the times when he was younger and how the kids did things together.

Tom, Darlene my heart goes out to all of you, to loose someone your love so deeply.

All I can say he left this world with a ton of memories for all of us. When you speak of Tom, you'll remember certain smiles and find yourself with a little smile. And when he was hurt even as a child you'll feel the tears fall.

But just remember the tears your crying are for a very special person and we all where blest with knowing Tommy.

Love to you all........

Beth

Tommy will certainly be missed. I think about him all the time. I think about all the times he and Bryan got into trouble, and had to sit in time out while the rest of the cousins always waited which of course seemed like an eternity!! I think about taking adventures down the railroad tracks, watching Jaws while we were itching our poison ivy. I remember the time Tommy was so excited about everyone watching him play a baseball game that he took the bicycle nobody wanted to ride, and ended up flipping over the front of it, and having to be taken to the hospital. I think about the forts we all used to build. I especially think about the last time I saw him in Vegas. We were eating at some buffett, surprise, and he shoved a whole peice of carrot cake into his mouth, just to make us all laugh!! He ate the whole thing to with no problem! I remember Tommy as the bright eyed, funny, always trying to get a rise out of somebody, outgoing and all around great person. He will be missed by everyone, but at least we know he is surrounded by all the greats, especially Grandma. I love you Tommy!! -Rachel

Miss you Tommy

I will always remember Tommy as one of my closest childhood friends. Tommy was extremely loyal, loving, and wonderful. I will be praying for his family.

Tommy is my nephew, and quite a guy he is! He possessed many virtues, among them are kindness, faith in God and great fortitude. When my husband, Roy was serving military time in Iraq in 2004-2005, Tommy sent him a case of red bull, which was greatly appreciated. Other soldiers partook in the generous gift as well as Roy. What young guy nowadays takes time out for his uncle to go to that kind of trouble, which is quite time consuming when you think of purchasing the drink, packaging it and than mailing it. We will never forget his kindness and thoughtfulness. For all of those who love and appreciate their Catholic faith, Tommy was second to none. One of his dreams was to be married in the Catholic Church before he passed on to Heaven. I am proud to say that I was instrumental in helping him obtain his wish. Father Jesse Cortez, a Catholic priest in Vegas was sent to Tommy's home to give him the Last Rights of the Church, Not only did he receive the Sacrament of Last Rights, but he received the Sacrament of Matrimony, (marriage in the Catholic Church), Reconconciliation, (Confession) and Holy Communion. What a great day for Tommy to receive 4 Sacraments at once. He was thrilled afterwards. He called me up and told me all about it. I felt blessed that I was able to help in this way. He truly loved his Catholic Faith. Tommy possesed great fortitude when he spit in the face of cancer and fought it heroically. I would like to dedicate this poem to Tommy and his family.
A Prayer in Time of Need.
In the beginning the Lord said:
"Let there be mountains." And lo, The mountains lifed up their heads. And He robed them with forests, And crowned them with diadems of snow; And like unto kings in ermine They wore glaciers upon their shoulders. Lord of life, we praise Thee For the majesty of mountains.
Give us, O Lord we pray Thee,
A breed of men like mountains,
Who lift their foreheads freely to the sun; Crown them with loving-kindness And with gratitude that they are sons of Thine; Robe them, we pray, with that true majesty
Which wears the ermine clean and undefiled, Constant in service for the common good, As glaciers feed the rivers and the soil. Raise up, O Lord, we beg Thee, A breed of mountain men.
To me, Tommy was a mountain man, strong and relentless. I have no doubt that he now walks in splendor with God. We love you Tommy, Aunt Mary, Uncle Roy, Cousins Rachel, John, Marie and Matthew.

On the day of Tommy's funeral while everyone was arriving at his home, a rainbow appeared in the sky, smack dab in the middle above his house.Some are saying that it was upside down, in the
shape of a smile!

What can I say. From the time Tommy was a little boy, he was special. He loved to laugh and make people laugh. He brought happiness to everyone around him with his charming personality. There was never a dull moment when he was around.His family was always very important to him. After he found out that he had cancer he began calling everyone on his list regularly. Sometimes at night he would call one, talk for a while and then call another and then another. Like Aunt Martha said, We will miss those late night calls. We have to remember though that Tommy is in a happier place now with our Lord, his grandma and grandpa and all the others that have gone before him. He is no longer suffering and is in perfect health. He will always be in our hearts and he and his family will always be in our prayers. For Tom, Dar, Yoshiko and the rest of the family just remember that rainbow !