Merna Lee Dennis, daughter of Riley Baynard Proctor and Mary Ruth James Proctor, was born July 5, 1937 in Marion, Ill. and departed this life on Aug. 30, 2020 at her home near Mansfield at the age of 83 years, 1 month and 25 days.
On Nov. 27, 1958, she was united in marriage to Kenneth Dennis and to this union three sons were born. She was preceded in death by her parents; son, Brian Dennis; two sisters, Janett and Nancy; sister-in-law, Mary Smith; and brothers-in-law, Bob Smith and John Lemons. Lee is survived by her husband, Kenneth, of the home; two sons, Lance Dennis and Jackie, and Brett Dennis and wife, Heather, all of Mansfield; grandchildren, Arrielle Brennan and husband, Kerry, and Brandon Dennis and wife, Jessica, all of Kirkwood; Tristan Dennis and wife, Brittani, of Mansfield; Jeromy Dennis, of Ava; Sharice Jarrett and husband, Landon, of Rogersville, Ark.; Dennis, of Springfield; and Conner Choate, of Mansfield; brother, Jim Proctor; two sisters, Elaine Motsinger and husband, J.D. and Patty King and husband, Jerry, all of Illinois; many great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; sister-in-law, Nina Lemons, of Mansfield; other relatives and many, many friends.
She was born, raised and graduated from high school in Marion, Ill. Lee was working at a phone company as an operator and Kenneth left Mansfield to start work at the same company in Marion to be an installer. The first time Kenneth and Lee laid eyes on each other led to a marriage five weeks later and nearly 62 years of marriage. They moved to Michigan for a short time before coming back to Kenneth’s hometown of Mansfield in 1960 to raise their family. They owned and operated a grocery store/gas station before purchasing Rush Hardware in 1968 and renaming it Dennis Hardware. They operated the business for 22 years semi-retiring in 1990. Lee and Kenneth then worked the same shift at Bass Pro Shop for 12 years before officially retiring in 2008. She worked all her life and was a hard worker, whether it was in the home, on the farm or at the store. And she could fix about anything. Lee had made a profession of faith in Christ many years ago and was a member of the Mansfield First Baptist Church. In her spare time, she enjoyed golfing, bowling, racquetball, water skiing, going to Hot Springs to the horse races and Gulf Shores, Ala. for rest and relaxation. Lee was a devoted wife, loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and a caring neighbor and friend. We celebrate her life and will always cherish the many special times we had together. Graveside services were held at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sep. 5, 2020 at Hensley Cemetery in Mansfield with the Rev. Jim Collins as minister. Holman-Howe Funeral Home in Mansfield handled the arrangements.
