I am deeply saddened that my big brother has passed away at only 47 years old. He was my big brother in every aspect, but was also my close friend. I have been living away from Red Deer for many years and Dennis has always been there for me to share my life with. We spoke every week or two, sometimes for hours. As with many people, Dennis was also there always to offer help when I needed it. This was especially true with computer problems and he helped me by long distance and different time zones when I had to call him from Venezuela, Indonesia and Russia. My fondest recent memories are those of visiting him at his home with my family, and experiencing the love he showed to my wife and children. He was a favorite uncle with a unique sense of humor and a tell tale smile. He taught my son how to ride a quad, and watched him with binoculars and a walk talkie to ensure he was safe. Tony would sleep over at his house and they would play video games until the late hours, watch movies, and act like a couple of kids (pull my finger). In reality, Dennis was a big kid at heart and could relate very well with all children. Shandra and Carine both thought the world of Dennis, even though they had only known him for a few years. When I was young, Dennis and I went to Calling Lake one summer with my dad and grandpa in a camper. It was a boy?s only trip. We spent many days fishing and camping and driving the ultimate quad that was called a Crab. It stood about 9 feet tall. When traveling home I had learned how to sharpen my hunting knife and my brother asked me if it was sharp. I touched it to the back of his hand and instantly drew blood. He had a mark for life and I was now sure that I had succeeded in sharpening the knife adequately (I was about 8 or 9 at the time). When I was being bullied, Dennis was not one to shy away from sticking up for his little brother. We had boxing gloves as children and I learned a couple of lessons as well. When I hit High School, Dennis seemed more like a friend than a brother. For some reason, I always wanted to do better than him. I guess that is brotherly competition. I ended up studying classes mainly because he had done the same. However, he had an apartment where I could crash whenever I needed. Many a game of risk or Uker were started at 6am. We worked on cars together and I drove his Honda CBX to Leslieville to work 1 summer. This bike was fast and we both had many a close call. He did not have such good luck with cars. I lent him my Trans Am one weekend while I borrowed his truck, and when I came home it was covered with dust and the engine was knocking. It turns out there were some good times had in Delburne, but the car did not survive. As I entered college, Dennis helped me move apartments every summer. I think he was happy when I actually managed to rent a ground floor apartment in Edmonton, but this quickly faded when I rented a 4 story walk up in Calgary. The boxes of record albums and the hide a bed were absolute killers on the stairs. This continued even into my married life. Dennis took care of my family while my wife gave birth to our son and he repeated a lesson to Shandra that he had earlier in life taught to my sister. He is a big man, but can run quick in the snow in his socks. Dennis lived a simple life but loved his toys, especially anything with 4 wheels or a circuit board. He loved the outdoors, camping and telling stories with his friends. Dennis was always there for me, my sister and his friends. He took me to my first rock concert (Kiss 1977), taught me how to drive a truck backwards (mom could only teach me how to drive forwards), taught me how to drive a motorcycle, and taught me a lot about life. I will dearly miss my brother. The love between brothers is very special and I know I will see him again someday when my time comes.