Dennis W. DeRose

Dennis W. DeRose, 74 of Lewiston, passed away at home on Tuesday, December 29, 2015. Born in Detroit on December 31, 1940, he was the son of Henry W. and Ethel M. (Gleeson) DeRose.

From 1959-1964 Dennis served in the U.S. Navy with Squadron VP-21. After returning from his Navy service, he went to work as a clerk for New York Central Railroad in Detroit, which later became Penn Central and finally Conrail. He retired in 1996.

Dennis loved northern Michigan. Along with his wife, Offie and his three daughters from a previous marriage, he enjoyed spending time in Lewiston on property that had been in his family since 1932. Since retiring, Dennis and Offie had made Lewiston their home.

He loved the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing, snowmobiling, model trains and dogs. He enjoyed playing Cribbage and teaching the game to others. Dennis also loved Dodge cars and trucks, especially his 1983 Dodge Ram pickup. He and Offie enjoyed playing Bingo at the Lewiston VFW and volunteering at Lewiston Community Sharing.

Dennis is survived by his wife, Offie, who he married on August 2, 1976; his daughters, Deborah Lyons of Jackson, Dawn DeRose of Detroit and Denise (Alan) Rainford of Mechanicsburg, IL; his grandchildren, Wesley, Crystal, Shelby, Allison and Linda; a great granddaughter, Emily; his brother, Donald (Karen) DeRose of Westland; a niece, Stacey and a nephew, Christopher.

His family will remember him privately with burial later at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Springfield, IL.

Those who wish are asked to consider memorial contributions to the family. Arrangements are by Gaylord Community Funeral Home & Cremation Service. Please share your memories and personal messages with the family at www.gaylordfuneralhome.com