Dennis Smith

Glendive, Montana: Dennis Ray Smith, age 64, passed away on Thursday, March 1, 2012 at the Glendive Medical Center in Glendive. Visitation will be held from 1:00 P.M. until 5:00 P.M. and from 6:00 P.M. until 8:00 P.M. on Monday, March 5, 2012 at the Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home in Glendive. A Life Tribute Service will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Tuesday, March 6, 2012 in the Chapel of the Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home in Glendive with Celebrant Sandy Silha officiating. Interment will be held in the Dawson Memorial Cemetery in Glendive. Silvernale-Silha Funeral Home of Glendive has been entrusted with the arrangements. Dennis was born on December 6, 1947 in Modesto, California, the son of Daniel and Wilma (Reagan) Smith. He was raised and educated in Modesto attending Modesto Public Schools. Dennis met and later married Linda Bench in Reno, Nevada in 1965. As a couple they lived in Modesto where Dennis worked as a Mill Wright. Dennis moved to Glendive in September of 1998, where he purchased and operated the Spring Grove Trailer Court. On July 16, 2007 Dennis married Linda (McMartin) Brammer in Las Vegas, Nevada and together they have raised her children and operated the trailer court in Glendive. Dennis enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, watching western movies, and tinkering and fixing things in the trailer court. Dennis enjoyed time spent with family and friends. He was a very giving man and he always treated his step children like they were his own. Dennis's famous words were "I said, NO!!!" Dennis was preceded in death by his father, Daniel Smith and one brother, Chester Smith. Survivors include his wife, Linda Smith of Glendive; mother, Wilma Holcomb of Billings, Montana; brother, Larry Smith of Billings; two sons, Dennis Smith, Jr. of Missouri and Derek Smith of Springfield, Missouri; daughter, Diane Smith of Lockwood, Missouri; stepchildren, Joseph Kelly of Clovis, California, Andrew Brammer of Butte, Montana, Jason, Josh, Robert, George, Mathew, Nick, Alisha, Elizabeth, Christina and Raelynn Brammer all of Glendive; and numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Remembrances and condolences may be shared with the family at: www.silvernale-silhafuneralhome.com. Dennis was a strong personality, and several have mentioned that if you once met him, you would surely not forget him; Dennis always made an impression. Dennis’ son, Derek, once told his father that Dennis was nicest jerk you could ever meet. They both enjoyed that thought. You knew Dennis cared about you when he found some insulting name to call you. Derek jokes that he was about ten before he knew his name wasn’t “peckerhead”. Dennis was stubborn and had a notorious temper. Son DJ says that the word “patience” wasn’t in Dennis’ vocabulary. He will be remembered for his often repeated phrase, “I said NO!” Dennis lived by his own rules and he was strict about expecting everyone else to live by them also. Step-daughter, Allysa, remembers Dennis coming after her and removing her from a local tavern because Dennis didn’t believe that women should be in bars alone. Dennis was known to be “cheap”. He hated spending his money on most everything. He was generous in many ways, and he would even loan money. But he expected every cent loaned to come back. Step- daughter Liz, had borrowed $61 from Dennis and when she paid him back all she had was 20’s. She gave him three of the twenties. Dennis insisted that she go to the gas station and break a twenty so he could get his last dollar. Arguments about money and what things cost were a constant conversation. Dennis was also a tease, and he often would instigate trouble by getting those around him to break the rules for him. While in the hospital, Dennis was told he had to eat if he wanted to go home. He would have wife Linda flush the food for him. Dennis would demand that his step-sons bring his cigarettes so he could smoke in the hospital bathroom. He loved to sneak up on people and startle them, and he had a habit of flicking at your ears or nose to get a rise out of you. Dennis could be sneaky about getting things he wanted even though he wasn’t supposed to have them. He was diabetic but loved sweets, especially Snickers and ice cream. When Linda was out of the house, Raelynn tells that she and Dennis would take his orange pick-up to Frosty’s for ice cream and he would swear her to secrecy. Raelynn never told on Dennis, she loved ice-cream too. Step-daughter Liz often softened Dennis up with chocolate or Snickers when she wanted something. If you could figure out what Dennis wanted, you could get away with many things. Dennis had his soft side too. He didn’t like to see anyone in pain. And his grandchildren held a special place in his heart. Linda claims that as gruff as he sometimes was, Dennis worshipped his kids. Dennis was married young, meeting his first wife, also named Linda, in high school. His two sons and daughter all have the same initials, DRS, because Dennis thought it was easier that way. He and first wife, Linda, lived in California where they were born and raised, and where their families were. Dennis’ first job was with Campbell’s Soup Company, and then he worked in a factory that produced boxes. Following that, Dennis and his brother, Larry, worked together as millwrights, tearing down hydroelectric plants, bottling companies, and various factories. The next step was to rebuild them. Dennis was always a good worker, and when it came to using his hands, he was very good at mechanics and fixing things. Dennis was very particular about his work, being somewhat of a perfectionist. He was also very particular about other things. He had a motorcycle that had been customized into a chopper that he rode. His first wife, Linda, says it had a lot of chrome that she and Dennis spent many hours keeping it shiny and clean. He also paid cash for a new 1992 orange Chevy pick-up, one of ten made in that color, that became his “baby.” He lived in California at the time and in the first months he owned it, DJ says it was the object of theft three different times, tires, wheels, fenders. But Dennis kept his “baby” and owned that truck until the day he died. Stepson Robert tells of riding on the Sidney hiway with Dennis in the orange truck. A Ford truck passed them, and of course Robert couldn’t let that opportunity go by. He began goading Dennis about the Chevy getting passed by a Ford. Well, Dennis could only take so much before he put his foot in the carburetor, and went flying past that Ford. Then Dennis uttered a curse, and hit the brakes. The oncoming hiway patrolman only got Dennis for doing 86 mph. Today, Dennis’ orange truck will carry him to his final resting place, with his brother, Larry, driving. One character trait Dennis had that he couldn’t control was his gag reflex. He wasn’t much good with the idea that his daughter might be born in the car, complete with many body fluids, as they raced to the hospital, or with grandbabies leaking baby poop out their diapers. Hair laying around, on furniture or in food bothered Dennis. These kinds of things caused gagging and some choice words. It was a reaction he couldn’t control. Dennis had many interests during his lifetime. He loved music and had an ear for it. His mother, Wilma, taught him to play guitar. Dennis dreamed of playing in a band. He loved the Rolling Stones, Santana, Creedance, and other rock bands of the 60’s. About the only kind of music Dennis didn’t like was rap. All though Dennis did not play in a band, he did enjoy playing his guitar throughout his life. Dennis was an outdoorsman, spending his spare time hunting, fishing, and camping. Dennis taught his sons to hunt and spent time going after deer and bird hunting pheasants. Dennis was a good shot and enjoyed his guns. Dennis’ granddaughter, Amber, gave Dennis a bobblehead moose as a gift. The moose came to be known as Buckhorn Smith, “Bucky”. Bucky rode on the dash of Dennis’ pick-up, and Dennis swore that when the moose moved, deer would show up. Derek was hunting with his dad, and they hadn’t seen any deer. They were parked when Bucky’s head moved slightly. Dennis told Derek that now they would see a deer. Shortly after that, a buck appeared. Dennis helped step-daughter Liz move to a new home using his pick-up and Bucky disappeared during the move. That year, Dennis did not see any deer. Eventually Liz found Bucky in a box of toys and returned Bucky to Dennis. He got his deer that year. All was right with the world. When living in California, Dennis and brother, Larry, would also spent nights frogging. They would go out in a boat, and spotlight the frogs, catching them with their hands. Larry claims that the frog legs they cooked up were delicious. Hunting was one of the reasons Dennis moved to Montana. In the late 90’s Dennis purchased some land at Bozeman, Montana, and planned to build a home there. He happened to come across Spring Grove Trailer Park for sale here in Glendive, and liked the thought of owning property that already had a house, and also could bring in some income. He made a deal for the trailer park, which included trading his land in Bozeman, and he came to Glendive to live. Dennis enjoyed running the trailer park, getting to know the people who lived in it, and doing the maintenance involved in keeping up the property. Dennis was always good to his tenants, very helpful, sometimes too good. He understood that times could be tough for people, and money tight. But he did keep a written record of every cent anyone owed him. Second wife Linda tells that she and Dennis met when she moved to Glendive. His trailer court was the second one she found when looking for a home to rent. Linda didn’t have much in the way of furnishings, but Dennis helped her out with beds, a television and other items he had extras of. One thing led to another, and soon they were a couple. Linda has twelve children, but when she moved to Glendive and Dennis asked how many she had, Linda only counted the ones still living with her at the time, five. Eventually she told him about the others, but Dennis would jokingly tell that Linda drugged him to get him to marry her. Things were never dull with Dennis. He ran the household with a tight fist, but he was a good father to Linda’s children and despite his penchant for everyone living by his rules, he truly cared for the kids. Linda says he was always a gentleman, and once you knew him, as stepson Mathew put it, Dennis “was a good man.” Dennis had some favorites in life that he really enjoyed. One was cigarettes. He began smoking when he was 7, and he never really quit. That and being overexposed to chemicals twice in his life, probably contributed to his death. Another favorite was eating; he loved to eat. His favorite food was chicken, and he was partial to Reynolds’ chicken. He enjoyed bologna, cold hot dogs, and cold cuts. Another favorite, which he sometimes would make, were Frito boats, corn chips, chili, and cheese served in the corn chip bag. And he did love his sweets. Dennis enjoyed being waited on. Both Lindas tell of always pulling off his boots for him. And he could get family members scurrying around doing things he did not want to do. As time went on, Dennis lost the hair on top of his head, something he hated. That’s why he always wore a hat. But he had hair everywhere else, especially on his back. One task he had family members do was to shave his back for him. When they resisted, Dennis just reminded them that it was called “quality family time.” Dennis loved watching movies and television. His favorites were westerns, Clint Eastwood and John Wayne. Favorite movies were “Burlesque”, “King Kong”, and “Chinook”, and the television series “Deadwood”. When Dennis was watching TV or movies, it was wise not to disturb him. And he watched them over and over, picking up on something new each time. Linda bought Dennis a 52” television, which he really enjoyed. Then she got him a television with an 82” screen and he about had a fit over the cost. But he calmed down and really loved watching that big screen. Wife Linda tells that deep down, Dennis was a sweetheart. His family was very important to him. When he was doctoring, Dennis told Linda he wanted to go to Mayo Clinic, get healthy and then travel to Missouri to see his kids and grandkids. Sadly, that plan didn’t happen. Dennis died last Thursday, March 1. He was 64 years old. Dennis Ray Smith was greatly loved and he will be greatly missed.

Dennis Smith

December 6, 1947 - March 6, 2012

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Dennis Smith

December 6, 1947 - March 6, 2012

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Flowers & Gifts

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