Dennis Patrick Smith…July 14, 1935 – May 4, 2012

Valley Memorial Funeral Chapel, Lamar, CO

RENO, NV—Longtime Lemon Valley resident Dennis Patrick Smith, 76, died May 4, 2012 at his home in Lemon Valley.

Dennis was born to Lester Harold Smith and Dorothy Elizabeth (Zaffke) Smith at home in Mesita, Colorado on July 14, 1935.

He enlisted in the United States Air Force (USAF) shortly after graduating from Mesita High School and served many years teaching survival skills in the Nevada desert. After leaving the USAF, he worked at Harrah’s Casino, Reno, Nevada until retirement. Dennis was united in marriage to Helga (Helen) Skinner in Reno, Nevada September 1, 1964. They were married for 46 years until her death in 2010.

Survivors include his sisters Glenmary (Donald O.) Bates of Houston, Texas and Georgia “Jodie” (Raymond Jr.) Burrows of Bristol, Colorado; many nieces and nephews in Colorado, North Carolina, and Texas and many friends in Reno, Nevada.

Dennis is preceded in death by his parents Lester and Dorothy Smith, sister Ann Harriet (William) Utt and brothers Terence, L. Neil, and Roy Emil Smith.

Inurnment, Thursday, July 19, 2012, 1:30 p.m. Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado. Arrangements are under the direction of Valley Memorial Funeral Chapel of Lamar, Colorado.