Dennis Charles O'Daniel

Dennis Charles O'Daniel, 79, of Hixson, died on Sept. 4 as a result of complications due to Alzheimer's disease.

Dennis was born on May 26, 1944 in Athens, Tennessee.  He went on to serve his country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam conflict.

He worked for years at Buster Brown. He would spend hours at night, poring over his Bible to prepare to teach Sunday School at church.

In his spare time, he was an avid sports card collector. He also enjoyed watching sports, particularly baseball, and he loved movies.  

He was also creative. When reading bedtime stories to his children, he would often change the words and make it so funny that they asked for encores. 

He jokingly aspired to be a commercial critic, as he always had an opinion on the efficacy of TV advertising.  

He loved scrapbooking and cut out various sports articles and photos from newspapers and magazines, creating giant tomes of sports history that added up to more than the sum of their parts.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Martha Ellen Orton O'Daniel, who also suffered from Alzheimer's, and his loving wife of 49 years, Ava Jane O'Daniel.

He is survived by his three children, Rick (Jill) O'Daniel, Randy O'Daniel and Robby (Olivia) O'Daniel, as well as four grandchildren: Noah (Kelsey), Jacob, Hannah and Patrick.

The graveside service with military honors will take place at the Chattanooga National Cemetery on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 11 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to Rick O'Daniel to offset funeral costs.

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