The Dennis clan reunion: Keeping the happy memories alive

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Charlotte, North Carolina—Last Sunday’s Dennis family reunion at the Anderson Grove Baptist Church in Albemarle, North Carolina--said to be the 85th--was a success.

The reunion was a mix of the old and new generations of the Dennis clan which claimed roots in Ireland and had Dutch ancestry, said Jerry Dennis, head of the clan since 1997.  

There were absentees and the message of Jerry Dennis rang loud and clear: “They need to get involved because this is their heritage, this  is where they came from.”

A committee headed by Tammy Dennis will plan next year’s reunion that will get more young Dennis kin to attend. “I hope this works. I love to attend these reunions all my life.  Good food and good fellowship.  It’s always awesome,” Jerry Dennis said. 

Jerry Dennis, son of James Julius “Hoss” Dennis, recalled that the reunion used to be a whole day affair that lasted from noon to sunset or 6 pm. 

“I remember we made lemonade, somebody slicing, another hand squeezing fresh lemons and placing ice on the barrel. There was a long table and we placed food on it. Oh man, it was fun, with all men playing horseshoes,” he said.

Jerry credited the late Lucille Dennis who outlined the Dennis genealogy book now owned by her daughter Zelma “Summer” Eudy. “Lucille can connect everybody in the clan,” he said. 

Jerry said the clan reunions used to be held at Lucille’s house and it lasted until 9 pm.  The kids would hang out all night there, Jerry said.

The Dennis clan came from Albemarle and Troy in the counties of Stanly and Montgomery.  “I didn’t know that until my cousin from Mt. Airy was investigating the family history and found out that our name was Dennison originally from the Dutch Irish who came here and changed it to Dennis, that is what I was told,” Jerry said. 

With pride in his voice, Jerry said the Dennis family contributed much to the Troy and Montgomery counties where most of the clan is based.  

Vivian Vair who is the current clan secretary shared that when she retired there was no doubt in her mind that she is going back home to her roots.

This year more than 50 adults excluding children attended the 85th Dennis family reunion. A clan election ended up with Ronnie Dennis succeeding Jerry as clan president. 

Gifts were given to the seniors and the youngsters but it was agreed that gifts will be replaced with cards in next year’s reunion.

When meal time came, I was surprised to see enough food to feed an entire village or one barangay in the Philippines. Also in attendance were the Dennis brothers, son of William Hugh Dennis Sr. and Mary Guinn (Bill, Ronnie and Larry Keith). The youngest brother Gary Dean could not make it due to a previous engagement. 

Eldest brother Wayne Dennis died last year. The Dennis brothers’ grandfather was the late Barry Littleton Dennis who was married to Emma Hamilton Dennis. 

Later as the reunion winded down, Jerry said he dreams that a family quilt tracing the Dennis clan genealogy will be made before he passes away.

“Ireland where our ancestors came ftom is a popular country.  I would like to have a quilt and they have a certain pattern and I would like to have one before I pass to the Great Beyond,” he said.

A family reunion gives time for everyone in the clan to remember, laugh, share stories and make new memories. Last Sunday’s reunion ended with a resolve to make it better next year and I hope it will be so.

Farewell Cheryle

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Charlotte, North Carolina--Heaven rejoiced when family members and closest friends of Cheryle Stephens Dennis celebrated her life and times during her funeral service at First Baptist Church in Hamlet last Saturday, Sept. 14.

Sure there were tears and the sadness was palpable as I saw Cheryle’s husband Bill wipe a tear or two.  But it was a beautiful funeral service to quote Cheryle’s son Shawn Steele who posted his thoughts on his Facebook page hours after she was laid to rest.

It was hot at the Rockingham Memorial Park, but not so hot since it was the last days of summer when Cheryle was buried there. The closed casket was almost draped  with beautifully arranged, colorful roses, pansies, daisies and a few green leaves.

A bouquet of flowers stood tall facing the mourners which made the occasion special as it gave them time to cherish Cheryle’s company for the last time. 

The church was filled with family, relatives, church members and family friends who listened to Cheryle’s favorite hymns being played while her favorite Biblical passages as underlined in her own Bible were read during the service officiated by Pastor Allison Farrah of First Baptist Church. 

Cheryle was blessed to have two pastors in her wake, service and burial, the other being her son Rev. Billy Dennis of Roberdel Baptist Church. Cheryle, who would insist that her name is spelled ‘with a y after an r” was the wife of Bill Dennis, elder brother of my husband Ronnie Dennis. 

She was not only a sister-in-law to me but  a friend who would always check on me especially during the time I coped with breast cancer treatments. Cheryle would also ask about my family in Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental province, northern Mindanao in the Philippines. 

Cheryle Stephens Dennis was born on January 13,1945 in Hamlet to Charles and Catherine Lucas Stephens. She retired after 25 years of service as Human Resource Officer for the city of Hamlet and was a beloved member of her church, the First Baptist Church of Hamlet. 

A Hamlet native, Cheryle liked fish but didn’t eat it, she loved butterflies and the beach. 

In fact she and Bill just returned from the beach a week before her accident. 

In her homily, Dr. Farrah described Cheryle as having a quick wit and a great sense of humor. 

She also said Cheryle would be sorely missed by their church.  “She was a sweet spirit who left a beautiful legacy of love and devotion for us to embrace and emulate,” Pastor Farrah said of Cheryle.

During family gatherings I always witnessed and welcomed the match between Ronnie and Cheryle, wondering who would fire the first verbal volley and trust me, the exchanges between them would stir up laughter from those who gathered around them including me. 

I remembered Ronnie saying ‘I’m tired of people telling me I’m fat,” and then he would look at Cheryle and tell her ‘you need to put on weight’ and she would smile, albeit a tight lipped smile.

Cheryle was also a fan of Tim Tebow, the professional football player whose parents were missionaries in the Philippines where he was born.  She appreciated the fact that Tebow lives up to his Christian belief by doing outreach programs in the country.

When she was confined at the hospital with a neck brace, Cheryle didn’t show any discomfort nor signs of pain. Ronnie would put a smile on her face when he told her ‘try to turn me on’, as she was with a hospital gown.  Even in her condition that time Cheryle still checked on her husband Bill who is a heart patient.

This clear display of concern was a trait emulated by son, the Rev. Bill Dennis in his words of remembrance to his departed mom. The soft-spoken Rev. Billy had a lot of memories with her, including family vacations and her time spent counseling him and his wife Sandy as well as the births and birthdays of their children.

“(Cheryle) loved the Lord, her church and she was willing to share or tell others that her choices are based on the words of the Lord. She believed in the power of prayer.  She truly loved my father, she always loved him and his family specially in difficult times of his life,” the Rev. Dennis said.

There were three ladies inside the church who tapped me on my shoulder and held my hand and told me how Cheryle loved me and would tell them about me. 

One of them, a Ms. Barbara is a childhood friend of Cheryle that now lives in Florida.  The other is a Mrs. Byrd while I forgot the name of the other lady. And another lady I forgot the name. 

And then there’s the pretty lady serving soda and water at the counter of the First Baptist Church after the funeral who told me about Cheryle. I am amazed at what a remarkable lady Cheryle was.  No wonder her hospital room and at the hospice drew lots of visitors from all walks of life. 

Cheryle was loved by the Dennis brothers and their families were all there. Dean and Ann with sons Gary and wife Nikki with their lovely children Myles and Savannah, Christopher and Melissa and daughter Catherine as well as brother Keith Dennis and wife Doris with daughter Lorie Tew and husband Greg. 

The granddaughter Meghan was also present. Of course Ronnie and me and daughter Karen and husband Tom Smith were also there. 

Cheryle is survived by husband Bill, sons Shawn Steele,  Rev. Billy Dennis and wife Sandy and their children, Heather Dennis Jones and husband Calvin, Will Dennis IV and Tiffany. 

To Cheryle you told me once that you are not only a Mrs. Dennis. You told me to love Ronnie forever. You told me I am so pretty and that you will love me forever.  

Thank you very much for all the precious memories we shared together. 

In closing I quote from the Rev. Bill Dennis who said ‘We can rejoice today with the knowledge you are all free from all suffering for eternity.’ 

Rest in perpetual peace Cheryle, in your heavenly home with the flowers and butterflies overlooking the radiant blue beach and looking at us who still remain on this Earth.  Who says funerals should be so depressing? Cheryle’s funeral, while sad, is also cause for celebration of her life and her eternity with the Lord. 

Recalling good times at Tagoloan class reunions

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Charlotte, North Carolina--Let’s talk about class reunions and why it’s both the most awaited and most dreaded of all events by people of a certain age.

For starters we should all attend class reunions to reconnect, reminisce on old memories and rekindle friendships and of course find out what happened to each other in nearly half a century of being out of contact or should we say out of the loop.

I belong to Class ‘71 of St.Mary’s High School now known as St. Mary’s Academy of Tagoloan town in Misamis Oriental, northern Mindanao in the Philippines.

This school produced two town mayors and one governor of Misamis Oriental, doctors, lawyers, engineers, nurses, teachers, military leaders, community builders and so many others.

It’s been close to 50 years or half a century after high school graduation. That’s right, so many summers ago since we graduated on March 22,1971

During college and my work at the 6th Municipal Circuit Court of Tagoloan and and Villanueva towns, I saw some classmates every now and then but other than that high school life was forgotten as almost everyone was starting a life or pursuing one.

Fast forward years later and when I went home for a short vacation that ended last July 29, I decided to reconnect with the classmates I missed since the last get together was back in 2008 before I left for the US.

And true enough with the help of Facebook, phone calls and some networking we reconnected and started meeting at the lovely home of Sol Casino Pizarro (Solita Casino) twice in July.

It is interesting that Clea Palatulon (Clea Alaud) went traditional by going to each house of former classmates to tell them about the reunion as most of them still stayed in Tagoloan. 

Clea contacted Gloria Maceda, Josefa Jagualing, Milan Dagus, Jerrilyn Nabong Gervacio, Rolando Emano and  Santos ‘Toto’ Casino about the meeting.

Not to be outdone was Jovenil Tagam who recently retired from the City Court and called up classmates who lived or worked in the city. She got in touch with Mercy Salac, Lourdes Bersabal and Divina Escabarte and even Evelyn Sabio now Evelyn Pimentel.

On my part I left a message for Ella and Ruth Villegas for them to come and made some follow up on Venil, Clea and Rosemary Castillo who still lives in Manila. It was Rose who contacted Emma Cartajena since both are from Balauarte. I almost forget, Clea also contacted Martin Seno.

The hardest part on any class reunion is the preparation because there are classmates who don’t want to be contacted for whatever reasons but we should thank social media these days since it would be easy to contact friends of long ago if they are connected to the internet especially Facebook.

The first and second meeting were held at the house of Sol Casino, the daughter of Iyo Penito and Ya Gloria who saw to our comfort and served food to last for hours.

She recalled school life memories in classrooms and under the shade of old acacia trees, the church, the sisters convent or the public plaza which we had for our own during the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) or dance practice for town fiestas or foundation days.

I could not really believe how fun it was to recall past memories and remember our teachers which were the sisters of the Religious of Virgin Mary (RVM). It was fun hearing Sol telling us who was the girlfriend or boyfriend of a classmate and everyone present either denied or made excuses.

We talked about Literature and one that stood out was the poem ‘The Raven’ of Edgar Allan Poe and like a chorus we remembered the words” nevermore and forever more.”  We talked about Tagalog class and recalled Pantukoy, History and English.

We remembered our uniforms and who among us had the most pleated pink uniform because it was starched well. 

If I remember correctly I think Clea Alaud would be cited for her crisp, clean uniform and good behavior at the end of the day while my uniform was already crammed just like the others.

It was fun remembering the past. We did not talk about failures but we celebrated the successes of everyone by embracing it as our own. It was no longer about high school but it was all about life.  

I am hopeful that the next reunion will have 100 percent attendance except of course for those who are not around anymore. 

On witnessing Arianne's life journey and love of music

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

My granddaughter Arianne Jaden Baisas will perform in her fourth piano recital at the Centrio Ayala Mall Event Center at 3 pm Philippine time this Friday, June 7 in front of what I expect and pray to be a very appreciative audience. 

Arianne, who is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, had made substantial progress two years after she heard piano music wafting through that same mall and told her mother, my daughter Janice Baisas, that she wanted to play the piano.

On hearing someone play the piano, Arianne wasted no time following the tune with mother in tow. 

She was headed to the stage when she was restrained from doing so and it took some time and effort from her mother and some sympathetic people to pacify her amid the glances of those who were distracted by her meltdown.

That was two summers ago  and much has changed since then.  At the time this article gets published online, she would be walking up the stage for her recital, that same stage she was prevented from setting foot on.  \

Arianne will play among several tunes “Down In the Valley”, “Bridal Chorus from Lohengrin” and the theme from the opera “Raymund  the Overture.”  Arianne is part of the Clazzitals 2019 Summer Recitals where she is a student.  

I am overwhelmed with emotion after she invited me and Ronnie to attend her big event, my first time to personally attend her recital.  

To be honest I am super excited for Arianne;  my eyes well up with tears as I write this, to see up close my 10-year-old granddaughter performing to her potential despite her condition. 

For those who don’t know Autism Spectrum Disorder is a condition of variable severity in which the afflicted person has difficulty in social interaction and communication and displays restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior.

Amid my excitement, I have my fears like what if Arianne stops in the middle of the song because her mind went blank or some other reason?  But I tell you this, there is no doubt in my mind she can do it based on my daughter’s accounts. 

She is gifted and she studies in one of the best private schools in Cagayan de Oro City, a school known for academic excellence and character building.  

I know Arianne is accepted and loved by her teachers and classmates because they understand her condition. She is accepted not because of her condition but what she is capable of achieving. 

She talks in English and finds it hard to communicate in either Bisaya or Tagalog though her Papa Ed is a native Manileno.  

She loved the 2019 version of the movie Aladdin as well as fried chicken and drive thru meals at McDonalds.  Arianne also loves to draw and loves her toys. 

She was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when she was three years old and she was given immediate medical intervention.  To this day I pray to our Almighty God that her condition improves over time. 

Years ago, it was so hard coping with her condition especially when she is sick because she could not communicate well yet. Her parents struggled in asking her where she hurt.  The Lord answered our prayers and she can communicate to us in English.  

A little throwback; when Arianne was nearing four years old, we were worried that she may never be able to talk.

One day, my brother Simeon J.R. “Toto” talked to Arianne when she came near him while he fixed some pipes at home.   He didn’t expect her to answer and was startled enough to nearly hit his toe with a screwdriver when he heard Arianne asking “What’s this?”  

He told us he was sure Arianne spoke because they were the only two people in the room. 

Arianne’s memory of that piano recital two years ago convinced her parents to enroll her in Clazzitals a week after the incident. She goes to practice twice a week and practices on the Yamaha piano at home whenever the mood hits her.  
Arianne shares her father Ed’s passion for playing the piano. 

More tales about Arianne: Her favorite line is “I want mama happy.”  Maybe in her innocence she wants to see her Mama smile a lot. She is a sweetheart to everyone especially her cousins Kuya Sam, Ate Tating and Jacob. 

Arianne is always shielded with our love and attention and now that she is 10 years old she is taught what life could be outside home and school and she is a fast learner.

She adapts immediately and we teach her life skills daily so she can become independent.   If I may ask, where are we now as a society in dealing with people like Arianne? 

I learned that there are already schools or therapy centers that can handle autism cases and I expect there would be more of them in the future.   

I salute Mayor Oscar Moreno, the City Social Welfare Office and the local Department of Education (DepEd) for directly addressing the problem. 

Years ago, I would invite the group of Mrs. Bobo Abellanosa and Mrs. Layug with the special education teacher at City Central and discuss these issues and matters on autism to create public awareness. 

I never thought I would be dealing with this later in life.  But I think much work remains to level up public awareness and education on caring for children with autism. 

I remembered the time when I was with Arianne at a mall and she kept making noise about something she wanted, repeating it enough that she caused a scene and attracted a lot of people’s attention. In the US there are people trained to handle children with special needs.

The funny thing though is that her English advantage is sometimes our disadvantage.  

I tell you this, while we were at Cogon market to buy fruits and vegetables the vendors would raise the prices every time they hear Arianne speak in English.  They assume of course that we were loaded with dollars.  

Still today, Friday afternoon, Arianne gets her chance to showcase her talent and appreciation of music to an audience.  I have a gut feel that she can do it and this is only the beginning.  

Whatever happens, Arianne is my granddaughter and nothing changes that. (For questions and comments, email me at susanap.dennus@yahoo.com)