Good bye Skip. You were my most long lasting friend ever. From high school until the end we kept in touch and experienced many good times through the years. Your service and reception were well attended. I had to add my rememberence to those who spoke at the reception afterwards. My your spirit last forever!
Over the years I have thought of Skip because of a couple of shared experiences. Skip was full of energy back in junior high, and smart. He was able to think one step farther than the rest of us. One year we both got chemistry sets for Christmas. I played around a little with mine but never did anything. Skip, however, was curious and came across a chemical that could take firecrackers to a new level.
On a Saturday afternoon, we were on the grounds of Milwaukie Junior High. He pulled out a .30-.30 casing and said he had something to show me. He had punched a hole in the side of the casing, filled it with a mysterious powder, and added a Jet-X fuse. The end was crimped over. He lit the fuse and threw the casing into the dumpster. It was an amazingly loud bang, much better than any firecracker we had had. [The mysterious powder was ammonium nitrate; 5,000 lbs. of the stuff was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of a federal building.]
He played the trumpet in the 7th and 8th grade bands that Mr. Truby put together. He was also a scrapper on the football field. I wish I could have known Skip when we were older.
Great story Dave. It captures the spirit of Skip's character: Fun loving and Adventurous. Sometimes to the point of riskiness. You should hear of some of his hang gliding exploits, he was quite amazing.
Few of my childhood memories don’t include Skip Dennis. We both attended Milwaukie Grammar, Milwaukie Junior high (members of Mr. Trubey’s magnificent 7th and 8th grade bands) and of course the Milhi class of 65’. Seemed as if we were always “hanging out”. As Smitty mentioned Skip was always energetic, always active, and always had something interesting to do that he wanted to share with you. Sometimes a bit dangerous, usually mischievous, occasionally close to unlawful, but always, always fun.
One of “the gang’s” favorite things to do when it was Skip’s turn to be the brunt of our jokes was to walk by his house, open the front door and then slam it as hard as we could. We knew that Skip would soon be cleaning up the mess that the family’s gun-shy bird dog had just made on the floor. Damn, those were good times!
He was truly a one-of-a-kind character and although we had lost touch over the years, knowing he’s gone leaves an empty space.
Rest in peace Skip and try to stay out of trouble!
So sorry to see you go Skip, I wish we could have gotten together more over these later years, we had so much fun during high school, and the decades following. You got me hooked on flying that trip we went on in your Dad’s Piper Tri- Pacer up the Fraser Canyon to the interior of British Columbia, if I knew then what I know now, I would never have gone 😂 Sure enjoyed all the hunting trips you , me, and Bob Smith used to go on, never got anything, but sure had fun, of course, I don’t think we ever took the guns out of their cases, probably a good thing because I think there was usually alcohol involved during the trip. Speaking of alcohol, I’m sure a number of the guys remember your misadventure the night of our kegger at the senior send off on the banks of the Clackamas river, I think it was, and you climbed a tree that hung out over the water, and we lost you for awhile, the rest of the story has been exaggerated over time I’m sure, but that’s how legends are made, I still get a chuckle out of that night. I also think there was some drag racing going on that night with some heavy equipment, but I could be mistaking. Skip, it was a blast knowing you, and sharing some great memories with you, what a fun ride. RIP my friend, don’t forget to save us a spot, some of us aren’t far behind😂😂😂🇺🇸/div>
Jim Harvey
Good bye Skip. You were my most long lasting friend ever. From high school until the end we kept in touch and experienced many good times through the years. Your service and reception were well attended. I had to add my rememberence to those who spoke at the reception afterwards. My your spirit last forever!
Dave Smith
Over the years I have thought of Skip because of a couple of shared experiences. Skip was full of energy back in junior high, and smart. He was able to think one step farther than the rest of us. One year we both got chemistry sets for Christmas. I played around a little with mine but never did anything. Skip, however, was curious and came across a chemical that could take firecrackers to a new level.
On a Saturday afternoon, we were on the grounds of Milwaukie Junior High. He pulled out a .30-.30 casing and said he had something to show me. He had punched a hole in the side of the casing, filled it with a mysterious powder, and added a Jet-X fuse. The end was crimped over. He lit the fuse and threw the casing into the dumpster. It was an amazingly loud bang, much better than any firecracker we had had. [The mysterious powder was ammonium nitrate; 5,000 lbs. of the stuff was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing of a federal building.]
He played the trumpet in the 7th and 8th grade bands that Mr. Truby put together. He was also a scrapper on the football field. I wish I could have known Skip when we were older.
Jim Harvey
Great story Dave. It captures the spirit of Skip's character: Fun loving and Adventurous. Sometimes to the point of riskiness. You should hear of some of his hang gliding exploits, he was quite amazing.
Hope you are doing well. Will you beat reunion?
David Tondreau
Few of my childhood memories don’t include Skip Dennis. We both attended Milwaukie Grammar, Milwaukie Junior high (members of Mr. Trubey’s magnificent 7th and 8th grade bands) and of course the Milhi class of 65’. Seemed as if we were always “hanging out”. As Smitty mentioned Skip was always energetic, always active, and always had something interesting to do that he wanted to share with you. Sometimes a bit dangerous, usually mischievous, occasionally close to unlawful, but always, always fun.
One of “the gang’s” favorite things to do when it was Skip’s turn to be the brunt of our jokes was to walk by his house, open the front door and then slam it as hard as we could. We knew that Skip would soon be cleaning up the mess that the family’s gun-shy bird dog had just made on the floor. Damn, those were good times!
He was truly a one-of-a-kind character and although we had lost touch over the years, knowing he’s gone leaves an empty space.
Rest in peace Skip and try to stay out of trouble!
Dan McFee