Dennis J. Stevens

Dennis J. Stevens, age 82, of Wayne, NJ and Port Orange, FL, passed away peacefully with his loving family by his side, on Thursday, March 28, 2024.

Born to parents Jennings Woodrow Stevens and Naomi (Daniels) Stevens in Omaha, Nebraska, Dennis had the sad misfortune of losing his mother when he was just three years old. Dennis spent his childhood in Omaha and also in Jamestown, Kansas where he graduated from Jamestown High School in 1959. His graduating class had ten students and Dennis, with a hint of humorous sincerity, liked to boast that he graduated in the top ten in his class.

After high school, Dennis enlisted in the United States Navy where he served aboard the USS Johnston (DD-821) in the early 1960s and time thereafter in the Navy Reserves. Throughout his entire life, he was always so proud of his military service to the country that he loved so dearly. He would often tell stories about his experiences in the Navy, particularly sailing around Cuba and in the Mediterranean Sea. 

While serving, Dennis’ ship was temporarily docked in Miami Beach, Florida. One night while hanging out at the Serviceman’s Center, a place where servicemen could relax and socialize, he had the good fortune of meeting his bunkmate’s girlfriend Lorraine Parker. That encounter forever changed the course of Dennis and Lorraine’s lives as they quickly took a fancy for one another. Their first date was to the all-day-for-a-dollar movie theater where they did just that……watched movies all day for one dollar. Talk about a cheap date! They soon fell in love and decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Dennis and Lorraine got married on July 31, 1962 at the Miami Women’s Club nearby where Lorraine grew up. The honeymoon had to wait as Dennis was still in the Navy. Their first home was in Quincy, Massachusetts where Dennis was stationed while his ship was in drydock for repair. 

Upon Dennis’ honorable discharge from the Navy and return to civilian life, he took a position with Control Data in Riviera Beach, Florida. At his request, the company transferred him to their California location for some training. He eventually was transferred back to the east coast where he and Lorraine purchased their first home in Clifton, NJ. From there they moved into a house located at 25 Wagaraw Boulevard in Prospect Park. There they raised their three children for the bulk of their upbringing from 1969 to 1985. When it was time to move again, the Stevens family purchased a house in Wayne and called that location home until moving to a lovely house on a lake in Port Orange, Florida in 2010.

Dennis cherished every sunny moment of retirement life in Florida. He trained a bunch of ducks which he dubbed “The Fat Boys” to knock on his door every morning with their beaks. Their reward for knocking was a nice big red Solo cup full of duck feed. Every morning he’d take his dog Pebbles for a walk around the lake. Upon their return Dennis would sit out front to enjoy a cup of black coffee. As he sat there, he’d give a doggie treat to all the other dogs that walked by his house. Sometimes while sitting out there, antique airplanes would fly over his house and he’d say to anyone he was hanging out with, “there goes the Port Orange Air Force.” When it was time for another walk around the lake, he’d go with his buddies and they’d have a good old time. Dennis loved life in Florida for another good reason. Golf. He played frequently with buddies in Port Orange and Daytona Beach and once-a-year with his friend Bill in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Evenings usually consisted of games of Solitaire on his computer, sprinkled in with lots of time watching Fox News, or cheering on the hapless Mets, the New York Giants and his hometown Nebraska Cornhusker football team. He also enjoyed ignoring letters from the HOA regarding his styrofoam cups of plants in his driveway! 

Above all else, nothing was as important to Dennis as his family. He was the most favorite “Pop-Pop” to his six cherished grandchildren and his adored great-grandson. He could often be found engaged in a friendly game of checkers or chess with one of them. When they were just little kids he’d have fun teaching them how to spell words like Mississippi or Alligator. Visits to Pop-Pop in Florida always included walks around that lake so that he could show them off to all his friends and neighbors. Those walks usually ended with a stop into Tim’s Corner, a local dive that served the best breakfast. But even those breakfasts didn’t compare to his dinosaur-shaped and Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes that he served his kids and grandkids over the years. Back home in Jersey, he’d treat the little ones to Jersey Johnny’s in Pequannock for hot dogs. From sporting events to performances and from graduations to weddings, Dennis was there for all of his grandchildren’s milestone moments. He loved times with his own children too. He served as a Cub Scout leader for his son Ken and as a coach for his daughters Denise and Caren’s softball team in Prospect Park. That team was notoriously awful until Dennis took over the coaching duties. That first year he coached, they won the championship. There were other great family memories of weekends and summers up at Greenwood Lake where he’d go fishing with his kids and water skiing.

When one thinks about Dennis, they think about a guy who loved Budweiser and Yuengling beer, was loyal to his dogs (besides Pebbles he also had Prissy, Tinker, and Pepper), was a frugal, sarcastic, kind, comical, sweet-heart of a guy who always had a joke to share – and it was always a clean joke. Dennis: you will be forever loved and cherished by your whole family and your many friends. Rest in peace.   

Dennis was the beloved husband of Lorraine (nee Parker), blessed in marriage for sixty-one years. He was the loving father of: Ken Stevens and wife Donna of East Stroudsburg, PA, Denise Conti and husband Tony of Binghamton, NY, and Caren Scardilli and husband Scott of Wayne; cherished grandfather of: Ryan Stevens and wife Amanda, Daniel Stevens, Matthew Conti, Taylor Scardilli, Christopher Conti, and Dylan Scardilli; adoring great-grandfather of his great-grandson Jackson Stevens, and dear brother of James Stevens and wife Joanne of Omaha, Nebraska.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy in Dennis’ name are asked to consider:

DAV - Disabled American Veterans 

P.O. Box 14301

Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301

Please make check payable to: DAV – Disabled American Veterans

To donate by phone:  877-647-VETS (8387)