Dennis Arthur Thomason... Age 76

Memorials are to your favorite charity in Dennis' name.

There are no services planned at this time

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On Monday, October 25, 2021, Dennis Arthur Thomason (Denny)  passed away at the age of 76.

How do you sum up a life lived in just a few short paragraphs?  In the last few days of his life, Denny expressed to his family that he had lived a good life and that we, as a family, have had many good times together.

Denny was born on April 4, 1945, in Long Beach, California, to Carroll and Alberta Thomason. He was the second of five children. He and his four sisters, Caralyn, Beverly, Charlene, and Darlene, grew up in California’s LA and Compton areas.

In 1964, Denny joined the Air Force and trained as a Firefighter.  While in the Air Force, he met his former wife, Nikki. After marrying, Denny and Nikki moved to Overland Park, Kansas in 1968, where Denny became a firefighter for the City of Leawood. They raised three children, Denise, James, and Timothy, in Stilwell, Kansas.

While Denny was a full-time firefighter in Leawood, he also served as a volunteer firefighter for the Aubrey Township Volunteer Fire Department in Stilwell, Kansas.  Denny worked many part-time jobs to help provide for his family.  He worked as a retail security guard, did school bus maintenance, made golf clubs, cleaned carpets, worked as a mover, and even had his own home maintenance business.

Denny retired as Captain Dennis Thomason from the Leawood Fire Department in 1995. In 1997, he met Sandy McBee, and they would live the next 24 years together at their home in Osawatomie, Kansas.

Denny was kind, funny, goofy, creative, and inventive.  Denny loved to tinker with things.  He earned the nickname of “MacGyver” because he could create or fix things with whatever was lying around.  He enjoyed working with tools and gadgets.  He was a scrounger and loved a good deal.  He would find things that were discarded or being sold for next to nothing and would find good uses for them, or hold on to them because you never know, “they could be good for something.”

Denny was an early adopter of new technologies.  When the new VHS video cameras required carrying the VHS component attached to the camera, he was there – recording wrestling tournaments, Christmas gatherings, dance recitals, and graduations. He enjoyed putting his tech skills to use for many family reunions where he would set up the audio and video to record those events for posterity.

He loved to laugh and tell jokes.  He could find humor in most things – a trait that lives on in his children.  He enjoyed going to the movies and doing movie marathons with his family.  Denny would host gatherings for friends at his home, where he would have music, hayrides, bonfires, and campouts. He enjoyed camping, canoeing, riding his motorcycles, and going on road trips.

Denny lived a long, happy life.  We will all miss him but will cherish the memories and laughs that he shared with us.

Dennis Thomason is survived by his life partner, Sandy McBee; his daughter, Denise Thomason; sons James Thomason and Timothy Thomason; James’ wife Lesley Parent; Grandchildren Megan Thomason, Clare Thomason, Hayden Thomason, and Katie Lawlor; sisters Caralyn Blatt, Beverly Wise, Darlene Thomason, and Charlene Thomason; Nikki Luse Thomason, the mother of his children; and many beloved first and second cousins.

At the request of Dennis Thomason, no funeral services will be held.  A celebration of life is being planned for a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a donation to your favorite charity.