Virginia Dennis

Virginia H. Dennis passed away on Sunday, March 22, 2020. She was born in Columbus, Georgia on September 14, 1928 to the late Joseph and Inez Harper. She was the oldest of five siblings and one half-brother. Upon graduating from Jordan Vocational High School in Columbus, she moved to Springfield, Missouri, where she attended Central Bible College and worked at the Gospel Publishing Company editing, typing, printing, and coordinating releases to publishers. She met the late George Ralph Dennis at a church function, and they were married on February 20, 1950, the beginning of a loving relationship that lasted until his death in 2004. During their first few years of marriage together in Springfield, Virginia gave birth to her first two children, Marilyn and Randall. In 1953 the family moved to Denver, Colorado, had their third child, David, and purchased a home they loved for the rest of their lives.

Virginia worked as a secretary at a law firm, a cable company, her church, and an oil and gas drilling company. Most of her career, however, was with Denver Public Schools, first as a school secretary. She was later promoted to an executive position with the assistant superintendent of DPS. In 1975, because of her husband's health, Virginia and Ralph moved to Yuma, Colorado where they purchased and managed the Supreme Court Motel for ten years. While there, she pastored a small church, helping them to purchase a building and incorporate. In 1986 the couple returned to their home in Denver where they spent the rest of their lives.

Throughout the years Virginia never tired of her church work. She has been a Sunday school teacher, a camp counselor, a vacation Bible school coordinator, as well as a church secretary and a member of the church board. She and her husband began and ran the church food bank. She taught evening classes for nine years in a Christian Bible college. Virginia conducted nursing home services, visited home bound people, and held home Bible studies. She presided over both weddings and funerals. She shared her gift of music from a young age. She sang, played the guitar, piano and was the church organist. She will be missed by all those whose lives she touched.

Virginia is survived by two children: Marilyn Minhas of Denver; David Dennis of Lochbuie, Colorado. She is also survived by five grandchildren: Isaac Dennis of Hays, Kansas; Jonathan Dennis on Ontario, Oregon; Daniel Dennis of Cheyenne, Wyoming; Steve Minhas of Denver, Colorado; and Mike Minahs of Kremmling, Colorado and three great-grandchildren; Verity and Venia Dennis of Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Gariel Minhas of Kremmling, Colorado. She is also survived by sister Vivian Pemberton and brothers Van Fenstermaker and Fred Charles Fenstermaker. She is preceded in death by husband, George Ralph Dennis: parents, Joseph Harper and Inez Fenstermaker, and by brother Jerry Harper and sister Janice Johnson. Services will be held in Brighton, Colorado at a later date due to the coronavirus. Burial will be a Greenlawn Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri.