By: Mr. Michael O'Connor
December 31, 2024
Opening Eulogy at Mass of Christian Burial

"Dennis was a simple man.  Give him a mug of merlot, some cheese curls and he was set!
He wouldn’t want any of us crying at his funeral,
but would rather we remember the good times."

Dennis and I were best friends, like brothers. We talked about twice a week. We’d talked about our families, sports, current events, or the newest problem we faced from our handicap.  If 1 of us had a medical issue, the other had probably encountered it before, so we had some remedies. We shared our frustrations and knowledge about being a quad. It saved us money from talking to a psychologist.  We discussed how fortunate we were to live with the current technology in computers and cell phones.  We were aware of all the handicapped people who paved the way for us with wheelchairs, cushions and the ADA. We ate many meals together, especially at Firebirds. He enjoyed a home-cooked meal, but it had to be hot.  I called it "Kelly hot". Most times he would eat half, reheat it and finish it.  Jambalaya from Big Fish Grill and Nicobolli’s were his favorites.  He loved the meals out with his high school friends or police cronies.

Dennis was an intense, analytical man.  He loved mechanical challenges!  Whenever I told him about a problem dealing with my house, wheelchair or van, he would always try to troubleshoot it and help fix it. He would give me detailed instructions for me or my wife to follow.  Sometimes I had to say no when they involved crawling under vehicles or taking something apart.  Paula and Samantha, you know what I'm talking about.  How often did he have you in a crawl space or taking apart an appliance?  He was relentless!  The next phone call, the first thing he would always ask was if it was fixed.  If it wasn’t, he told me to call Andre.  Andre was a good friend, a whiz who could fix anything.  He was Dennis’s version of “Call Saul”.  Dennis truly followed the Salesianum motto, “I have taken hold and will not let go”.  I nickname him Dr. Kelly.

He was a storyteller.  He could talk about his childhood or teenage years and it would last 20 to 40 minutes. He would add more details each time he retold it.  They were always interesting tales. You felt like you were there with him.  He loved to talk about football, especially about playing for Salesianum. He was proud of his ‘72 championship team.  He appreciated the Christian grounding and education he received in high school. 

Dennis was a state trooper.  He was a helicopter pilot.  His dream profession, until he was injured in a crash on the job in 1984.  He was proud of his service and had many stories about it.  One involved pulling someone over on I95 to give them a ticket.  He got out of his patrol car and asked for a license and registration when he noticed his car moving.  Apparently, he hadn't put it in park.  It crossed the north lanes, the grass median, and the south lanes and stopped on the shoulder.  He let the person go and hurried across to retrieve his car. 

He knew taking care of him was an arduous task. It was time-consuming and got more complicated as he got older.  It’s like that for all of us.  You don’t live 40 years with a severe disability of quadriplegia without great care.  Paula did a wonderful job taking care of Dennis.  He appreciated all of the TLC.

Dennis was a simple man.  Give him a mug of merlot, some cheese curls and he was set!  He wouldn’t want any of us crying at his funeral, but would rather we remember the good times. I will miss Dennis, our weekly calls and our visits.