Dennis Brian Stannard, aged 73, of Wadena, Iowa, passed away on December 10, 2024, at Community Memorial Hospital in Sumner, Iowa, with his loving family by his side. Born on September 26, 1951, in Des Moines, Iowa, he was the beloved son of Earl and Iola Stannard.
Dennis graduated from Fayette High School Class of ‘69. He was united in marriage to Jeanne Richmond in 1970. He went on to serve his country in the United States Army as a Specialist Fourth Class. He was a recipient of the National Defense Service Medal and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. Following his military service, Dennis farmed with his parents and worked as an auto mechanic before pursuing further education at Control Data Institute in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; where he specialized in Information Technology.
After completing his training, Dennis moved his family to California. There, he embarked on a successful career as a Computer Systems Analyst at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, maintaining Cray Supercomputers. Dennis enhanced his qualifications by obtaining Novell, Microsoft, and Cisco certifications and working in IT maintaining servers for Entex/Siemens.
Returning to Iowa in the early 2000s, he furthered his education in CNC machining at Northeast Iowa Community College. Using this training Dennis then worked for John Deere in Waterloo until his forced retirement, due to health reasons, in 2008.
Dennis served as Commander of Legion 312 in Hawkeye, Iowa, demonstrating his ongoing commitment to community and country. An avid fisherman, Dennis cherished his weekends on his boat, whether fishing in Iowa, California, Minnesota, Wisconsin, or along the Mississippi River. In the later years he especially enjoyed fishing with his father-in-law, George Richmond.
Dennis will be remembered as a devoted father, a proud veteran, and a passionate fisherman, leaving behind a legacy of strength and perseverance.
Dennis is survived by his two daughters, Krysta (Jason) Sandstrom and Heather (Bill) Jeffcoat, both of Fayette, Iowa; his former wife, Jeanne Stannard of Hawkeye, Iowa; grandchildren Joshua, Jonah, Jalen Sandstrom, and Jeremiah Jeffcoat; sister, Janice Veaver of Oelwein, Iowa; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Iola Stannard.
Friends and family are welcome to attend a time of remembrance and fellowship on December 21st at the Lima Church, Fayette IA, from 1 to 4 pm. Inurnment at Lima Cemetery at a later date.
Burnham-Wood-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service of West Union, Iowa, is assisting the family with arrangements.
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