Rwayne Dennis

Rwayne Dennis was my uncle. He died last week and his funeral was today. He had a military funeral and he deserved it. He served during an unpopular time-the Vietnam War. I feel that all our veterans deserve every honor given to them.

Rwayne was the brother closest to my mother in age. He and his wife didn't have any children but they always had dogs. My earliest memory of him was when I must have been about 4 years old. We had gone to their house and I went in only to be met with a huge dog. It was a boxer and I am sure that it was average height but to me it was enormous. It scared me to death but I was also curious because this dog had shoes on. It had baby shoes on it's feet so it would not scratch the floor. I know I had never seen a dog that wore shoes and I don't think I have seen one since. I know Rwayne always remembered this because he would tease me about it every time I saw him and now I am glad that the thought of it put a smile on his face.

Rwayne also fascinated me because he rolled his own cigarettes. This was a time before cigarettes came with warnings. I can remember watching him pour the tobacco into the paper, roll it up, lick the paper so it would stay closed, and then lighting it and smoking it. I know this wasn't a good example to set for a young child but when we would go to visit my grandparents I would always ask if "that man that rolled his cigarettes would be there". My youngest brother always knew him as the man with the fire lighter-that probably contributed to my brother's fascination with fire.

Unfortunately Rwayne's smoking habit caught up with him. About 5 years ago it was discovered he had lung cancer. Whether or not he would have lived longer than the 79 or 80 years he had already lived is unknown, except to God. What I do know is that at my grandfather's funeral he was a comfort to a 14 year old girl that had lost a man that she dearly loved and I will never forget that.

Liz