Dennis DePasse

Dennis DePasse, 85, passed away on Monday, November 18, 2024, in Littleton, CO. Born December 21, 1938, in Henryetta, OK, he was the son of Alfonce "Al" and Jessie Yvonne (Ward) DePasse. He attended public schools primarily in Carlsbad, NM, graduating as a proud "Caveman" from Carlsbad High School in 1956. He then attended the University of Arizona in Tucson, graduating in 1960 with a Bachelor's degree in Geological Engineering and later earning a Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics before moving to Southern California to start his career.

While in California, he worked in management for Litton Industries by day and taught college courses at several institutions over time, including Pepperdine University, California State University (Northridge), Moorpark College, and Pierce College. While there, he met Zella Strong, and they were married on April 6, 1963. Children soon followed, with Stephen born in 1965 and Darren in 1968. For a time, he worked on a PhD in Mathematics at UCLA before deciding to focus on other priorities.

In 1978, wanting to move closer to their Midwestern roots, he and his family relocated from Thousand Oaks, CA, to Owasso, OK, near Tulsa. After working for several firms in the Tulsa metro area, he settled at Amoco Production Company (Standard Oil of Indiana), where he oversaw their proprietary geologic mapping system, AGS. During this time, he also earned an MBA from the University of Tulsa.

In 1987, as part of a corporate move, Dennis, Zella, and Darren relocated to Katy, TX. While there, he held the position of Amoco Career Manager, where he enjoyed coaching others in their careers and leading geoscience-based field trips across the country. He retired from Amoco in 1997 after 16 years. Following retirement, Dennis and Zella relocated to Highlands Ranch, CO, where they lived until his passing.

In Colorado, Dennis found his way back into the classroom, substitute teaching in Douglas County Public Schools, where he especially enjoyed "wowing" advanced high school math students with tips, tricks, and shortcuts for solving lengthy equations. Dennis had a passion for cars and car shows, sports (especially his Arizona Wildcats, UCLA Bruins, and Oklahoma Sooners), electronic technology and gadgets, his grandkids, and "granddogs."

He was a lifelong attendee (and later, member) of the Church of Christ, and in his later years, he enjoyed listening to acapella hymns, sermons, and participating in church services remotely online.

Dennis was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Zella; sons, Stephen (Julie) and Darren, both of the Denver area; sister, Sonja Mullis (David), and brother, Danny (Paulette), both of the Tucson, AZ, area; and grandsons, Riley (Abby) of the Denver area, and Mitchell (Allyson) of the Oklahoma City, OK, area.

A memorial service and cremains interment will take place at a later date. Memorials may be made to Mountain States Children's Home, 14780 N. 107th, Longmont, CO 80504, or via https://www.msch.org/.