Kathleen "Cathy" Dennis

Cathy Dennis, 73, of Anita, passed away peacefully at the home of her daughter, Thursday February 9, 2023 surrounded by her loving family.  Born September 11, 1949 in Battle Creek, Michigan, she was the oldest of seven children born to Roy F. and Maree K. (Beck) Westfall. She graduated from Atlantic High School with the class of 1967.

On October 14^th, 1972 she was united in marriage to high school classmate, Bill Dennis.  Bill’s mother, Eileen, had commented that she always saw Cathy in church with her younger siblings and suggested the match.  To those who knew the couple, there is perhaps no doubt that singer Waylon Jennings had it right when he described a good-hearted woman loving a good timing man.  Cathy once told her daughter she married him because he was “just too funny.”  In October of 2022, “through tear drops and laughter, passing through the world hand in hand,” the couple celebrated 50 years of marriage.  To this union four children were born Sarah, Cheree, Willie, and David.  And perhaps, Cathy, as a loyal Waylon Jennings fan, did what only a true fan would do and instead of letting her children grow up to be cowboys, she raised a doctor, a nurse, a lineman and a mechanic.

Cathy was always a kind and hardworking person.  As the oldest of seven children, she used the money from her first job at the Six West Drive-In, in Atlantic, to buy each of her siblings a new Sunday outfit.  She went on to spend 41 years working for Hy-Vee foods as their accountant, retiring in 2011.  Everyone at Hy-Vee loved Cathy…of course, as the accountant, she was the one responsible for getting out their paychecks.

She was always a very giving person and her faith was very important to her.  She was a long-time member of St. Mary’s Church and shared the back pew with her family for decades.  Her husband Bill would sometimes slip the altar server a few dollars which ensured the back pew was “reserved” for the Dennis family.  Cathy’s heart was gold.  She cherished handing out small gifts of dolls, cars and trinkets to the children in church every Sunday.  In her final days, her faith was evident as she kept her rosary beads close to her bed side.  A week before her passing, Cathy asked what one gets for saying the rosary day after day.  She laughed with her family as a Google search revealed that it would either bring a person closer to God, or they would become tired of saying the rosary.  One of her last conscious movements was to bring her rosary beads to her lips.  Her body was tired, but her faith was not.

Her giving nature extended everywhere she would go.  She and Bill shared breakfast every morning at the local Weather Vane café.  Cathy had great joy in bringing small gifts for the waitresses, their children, and any child in the café.  Cathy also had a gift of making crocheted blankets.  She often donated them for church and school raffles.  Her husband once commented that he would be hard pressed to find anyone who had not been gifted one of Cathy’s handmade blankets.

Cathy was loved by many.  In her final weeks, she was at peace with her passing.  She shared with each family and friend visiting the same message, “Love your family.”  Cathy was the embodiment of love and spent each of her 73 years sharing her love for her family and for others.

Cathy was preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Maree Westfall; her youngest sister, Patricia Haupert; her mother and father-in-law, David and Eileen Dennis; brothers-in-law, George Dennis and Mike Dennis; sister-in-law, Betty Dennis; nephew, Levi Glover; and great nephew, Bennett White.

Left to cherish her memory are her husband of 50 years, Bill “Rock” Dennis; their children, Dr. Sarah (Jamey) Herzberg, Cheree (Greg) Kafton, Willie (Brianne) Dennis and David Dennis; grandchildren, Dietrich, Sayer and Sophie Herzberg, Katelynn Mullin and Faith Kafton, Henley and Hayden Dennis and Bradley, Carley, and Braxton Dennis and Bryce and Brooklynne Zimmerline; her siblings, Candi (Tom) McCune, Mike Westfall, Cindy Turner, Annie (Doug) Castle and Kim (Cole Powers) Glover; brother and sister in-laws, Dr. David and Patti Dennis, Bob and Pat Dennis and Carol Hansen; as well as several nieces, nephews and friends.

Visitation with the family present will be held from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Thursday, February 16, 2023, at Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic.  A rosary will be held at the conclusion of the visitation at 7:00 p.m.

A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m., Friday, February 17, 2023, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Anita.  Burial will be in the Evergreen Cemetery.  The service will be recorded and available on the funeral home website by noon on Saturday.

Memorials may be directed to the family for designation at a later date. 

Roland Funeral Service is caring for Kathleen's family and her arrangements.  Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.