- 2:43 PM
CLYDE DENNIS OBITUARY
DOVER - Maj. Clyde "Tom"
Dennis, USAF (Ret.), of Dover, passed peacefully Saturday, Nov.26, 2022.
Tom was the son of the late Clyde and Margaret Dennis of Cincinnati and the brother of Carl Dennis, Linda Fulton and the late Margie Craib. He was preceded in death by his wives, Jo Ann Bauknecht and Marcia Cornell and by his daughter, Karen.
A Withrow High School (Ohio) grad, Tom joined the U.S. Air Force in 1952. He served as a radio operator on B-29 Super Fortresses, C-119 Boxcars (when he served in the Korean Conflict) and EC-121 Constellations or "Connies."
In 1959, he was selected for Officer Candidate School and upon graduation, went to pilot training. He went back to flying the Connie with missions that included atomic testing in the South Pacific to radar picket during the Cuban Missile Crisis. From Connies, he was sent to Bien Hoa, Vietnam, where he flew forward air control missions in the O-1 Bird Dog.
Wounded on his birthday in 1965, he returned to the United States and flew C-141 Starlifters out of Travis Air Force Base in California. He was then assigned as a command post duty officer at RAF Mildenhall in England, flying the C-47, Gooney Bird. Tom was selected to return to the States in 1970, as Dover was gearing up for the C-5 Galaxy. Indeed, he was co-pilot on the delivery of Dover's first assigned aircraft, 90006. He went on to fly numerous missions around the globe, including Operation Nickel Grass support to Israel and the first C-5 mission to the "Top of the World" - Thule AB, Greenland. His last assignment in the Air Force was to Altus AFB, Oklahoma, as an instructor pilot. His military decorations include the Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Medal.
After retiring from the Air Force, Tom worked for the Delaware State News as a sports writer and the Blood Bank of Delaware.
In his sprier days, he was an avid golfer, bowler and a deft dart player. He loved the Reds, the Buckeyes and though he says he lost faith in the Bengals, we know in his heart, he still kept track of them! He was a cornerstone at Tom's Bullpen in Dover and a trivia legend, who helped them garner nationwide standings. He would always stop to pick up a penny in the parking lot and his penny collection lives on there. His corner seat stands as a shrine.
Tom is survived by his five children; Shari Munson of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Scott Dennis of
Monument, Colorado; Sandy Holt of Magnolia; Steve Dennis of Dallas; and Sally Edwards of Laurel; as well as 12 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Entombment with Full Military Honors will be 1PM June 9, 2023 at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Millsboro, DE. To share a fond memory of Tom or to offer a condolence to his family, please visit www.ambruso.com.
Final arrangements entrusted to Michael J. Ambruso Funeral Director, Inc., Dover, DE
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1934 - 2022 (88 years)
