Obituary: Dunham, Dennis E.
Age 63
DUNHAM, Dennis E.
(Age 63)
Dennis passed away Tuesday March 29th after a courageous 14 month battle with cancer.
He was born January 28, 1953 to Bert and Anne Marie Dunham in Spokane, WA, and grew up in the Spokane Valley.
Dennis attended West Valley High School and worked for a printing shop while he was a young adult.
In 1973 he married his first wife DeLora and Dennis was overjoyed to claim her son, Brian as his own.
Dennis and DeLora had two additional children together, Erik and Rachel Dunham.
During his twenties and thirties Dennis worked as a carpenter and foreman for the carpenters union and ran his own construction businesses.
Dennis was a hard worker and his family was a priority, yet he found time to indulge his passion for music.
While married to DeLora, Dennis and his friend Tom played in a band where he sang and played guitar.
His first marriage ended in 1983 and Dennis reconnected with his high school sweetheart Linda Murphy and they married in 1985.
He was a modest man who cherished the simple things in life.
He lived for his routines and his ability to provide for his family which included two children from Linda’s previous marriage.
Dennis continued to play guitar and formed another band playing at various local taverns and venues with friends Dirk and Rick.
Later in life, he played music with his grown son, Erik who started playing guitar because he idolized his dad.
Dennis has also been known to play some acoustic for his daughter and friends.
Rachel remembers how he would sing her the Beatles “Birthday” song, even in the middle of a meeting if she requested it.
He would do anything to make his children smile and his sense of humor lifted everyone around him.
His Rolling Stones karaoke wasn’t too shabby either.
In 1996 Dennis was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and could no longer continue his work as a carpenter, though he remained one in his heart until the end.
He returned to school where he obtained his Associates degree from Spokane Community College, two Bachelors of Business from Eastern Washington University, and a Masters in Business from Gonzaga University in Operations Management, General Management, and Human Resource Management.
He was an exceedingly intelligent man and graduated Suma Cum Laude despite the fact that he was working and raising a family.
While working towards his graduate degree, Dennis was employed at the Community Colleges of Spokane part time and then full time after graduating.
He became the Director of Capital Projects then Director of Facilities for the Community Colleges and was on his way to the top position.
During his employment there he became part of a family who supported him in creating beautiful facilities for the students.
For him, it was always about the students.
He made some very close friendships there and enjoyed going to work each and every day.
He also started golfing again and had a great time playing with his close friend Cheryl.
Dennis continued to work when his illness progressed and celebrated his last day on March 4th, 2016.
He was so proud of the work his team had accomplished and the family would like to give special thanks to Renee, Teresa, John Nuess, John Gillette, Clint, Jeff, and everyone else for all you did to support Dennis this past year.
He could not have done it without you!
Dennis remained stoic and graceful through his battle with cancer and was an example of how to enjoy the little things in life.
He never asked for much and yet we all wanted to give him the world.
The resilience he showed us all is astonishing and he was a great role model for his grandsons Leo and Cohen.
They remember Papa D as being a just a big kid playing with their matchbox cars, watching movies, and always having room for dessert.
We hope his playfulness and strength will live on in the hearts of all who knew him.
He is preceded in death by his father Bert (1976), mother Anne Marie (2004), son Erik Dunham (2012), cousin Jim Dunham (2015), grandparents, aunts, uncles, nephews, and nieces.
He is survived by his daughter Rachel Tomsha (Rod), son Brian Spinks (Stacy), step-daughter Jeannie Rasberry, twin grandchildren Jake and Maddy Spinks, twin grandsons Leo and Cohen Tomsha, brother Rod Maclean (Jan), sister Lois Huber, and numerous nephews, nieces, cousins, aunts, and uncles.
A private committal will be held for the family on Friday April 8th.
A public celebration will be held at The Lincoln Center in Spokane on Saturday April 9th from 1-3pm.