Lowell Wallace Dennis, Jr.

Lowell Wallace Dennis, Jr. August 3, 1923 - August 22, 2013 Lowell Wallace Dennis, Jr. went to be with our Lord August 22, 2013, with his wife of 50 years at his bedside. A private family service will be at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. Lowell was born August 3, 1923, in LouAnn, Arkansas, to Lowell W. Dennis, Sr. and Mildred Burleson Dennis. After being in the oil boom town for a few years, the family moved to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. With the country still coming out of the Great Depression, Lowell did as many young men of that era and joined the Oklahoma National Guard at the young age of 16. The Guard Unit was activated into the 45th Division, and Lowell was part of the invasion of Sicily. Captured by the Nazis along with 100 other of our troops, Lowell was wounded but still managed to escape along with three men from the Big Red One Division. The other 96 soldiers in the group who did not manage to escape served almost three years in a German prison. Of approximately 98, 000 POWS in WW II, only about 1800 managed to escape and Lowell was one of them. He was a fighter all his life. When he was discharged from the Army, he attended University of Tulsa and worked for many years in the aerospace industry, retiring from NASA at John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where he worked in Design Engineering and as Logistics Manager for Launch Complex 39. After retiring from NASA, Lowell was active in local politics and served for many years as Chairman of the Brevard County Board of Adjustments. In addition, he served as Commander of Titusville, Florida VFW Post and worked as an advocate for returning Vietnam veterans. He was a member of the Brookside Masonic Lodge, the Scottish Rite and was a founding member of the AZAN Shriners, Melbourne, Florida. It would be hard to list all of his activities, such as serving in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and acting as high school football referee. Lowell loved people and he loved life. In later years a good deal of his time was spent motor homing and seeing America. Lowell was predeceased by his parents; his son, Lowell W. Dennis, III; brothers, Gordon Ellis, Glen Dennis, and Rex Dennis; and sisters, Lorraine Flippin and Patricia Wallace. He is survived by his wife, Beverly Bankston Dennis; daughter, Brenda Whitener and husband, Wes, of San Antonio; daughters, Tanya Kozak and Sandra McAlpin of California; and grandchildren, Timothy Lindholm and Allison Cucolo of Texas. Special thanks to his physicians, Roger Cowart, Joseph Knipper and C.A. Shoultz, III. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in our "Memorial Guestbook" at www.WilkirsonHatchBailey.com.