Dennis McGuire

Dennis Ray McGuire was born in Wichita, KS on September 9th, 1960.  He was the son of Bill and Anna McGuire. He is survived by his sister Teresa Ludwig and husband Tom of Wichita, Ks. Brother Mark McGuire and Sonia of Wichita, and Brother Bob McGuire and Debbie of Las Vegas, NV. Dennis is also survived by many nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, Coworkers and kittens.

Dennis passed away early Monday morning August 30th, at KU Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas, from a massive heart attack, with his family by his side. He was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Anna McGuire and his younger brother, Wesley McGuire. Dennis resided at Linn Valley Lake in LaCygne, KS.

Dennis spent much of his adult life as a Glass Glazier/Window and Door Fabricator. He was skilled at what he did. His coworkers describe him as very passionate and dedicated to his craft, and he wanted everyone to work as hard as he did. He worked within the Glass and Allied Trades Union and spent the last 12 years working in the Kansas City area.

Dennis was an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan, who enjoyed attending games with his family members. He was known for his big heart, generosity and kindness to people and animals alike. He bought Christmas gifts for kids in his neighborhood and donated to animal shelters. He loved to hang out with his nieces and nephews, and teach them anything he could. Dennis was a lover of all animals. Most recently he adopted two stray cats, a mom and a baby. He was able to capture both cats and take them to be spade, neutered and given shots. It was important to Dennis that all animals have the best like and healthiest life they could have.

From 1969-1973, the family resided in Big Fork, Arkansas, where Dennis and his siblings spent many days and hours swimming in the Mill Hole, a creek just down the road from the family home. Until the day he died, Big fork and the Mill Hole remained very special to Dennis. He visited there many times during his lifetime and always talked fondly of this place. There was rarely a family gathering where we did not hear about the special qualities of the Mill Hole and the home in Big Fork, Arkansas.

In 2004, Dennis set out on a trip around the world that lasted a little over a year. He visited over 40 countries in that year. Upon his return, he told stories about Russian spies in a bus terminal in Moscow, where he was approached by a woman who told him he needed to leave the area immediately, because the two guys in the corner were planning to put a needle in his neck and kill him. He talked about bad guys in Peru who tried to slash through his backpack to rob him, but being the genius that Dennis was, he had lined his backpack with a wire mesh so no one could get through the backpack to rob him or kill him. He was always prepared for any scenario. He went out into tribal area of Africa, where he hung out with the tribes, buying leather goods to bring home to all of his family members. He would then catch a ride back into town with a farmer, sitting in a truck bed with chickens. He rode on a midnight boat from Spain to Africa, where he felt most of the people on the boat would rather kill him than look at him. It seemed that the more danger he was in, the happier he was. Dennis was always on a backpacking trip, a camping trip, a diving trip or on a mountain climbing trip.

Dennis loved to buy cars, jeeps, and trailers, then fix them up. He was always tinkering with something automotive, buying parts, or trading vehicles. He was genius at adapting trailers and vehicles to adapt to his needs. Such as, a hand-built trailer to hold motorcycles, bikes, canoes and kayaks.  He could remodel an old camper shell and turn it into a livable camper, complete with a bed, refrigerator and TV.

Dennis was one of the smartest men we knew. He could carry on a conversation about anything, with anyone. He knew a little bit about almost everything. He was always reading and educating himself about something new that caught his interest. Once he had enough information about his subject, he could and would start a conversation with you about that particular topic. Education was important to Dennis, rather it be college, a tech school, space camp, oceanography, or learning about trees. One of his wishes was that his estate goes to his great nieces and nephews to further their education. In lieu of flowers, the family will be establishing a memorial scholarship fund in his name. If you would like to view information about Dennis’ world travels, please visit:

http://lonelyplanet.mytripjournal.com/serchingfordragons

A Celebration of Life will be held on October 9th starting at 6:30 p.m.at Rivers Edge Venue, 1600 West 61st St. North, Wichita, KS. If you would like to attend, please email Bob and Debbie McGuire @, onioncreekspice@gmail.com