Jack Edward Denison

Jack Denison Obituary Jack E. Denison, 82, a longtime resident of Rochester, NH, passed away peacefully on October 3, 2007, at the Hyder Family Hospice House in Dover, NH. Born in Attica, Kansas on Aug. 25, 1925, he spent his youth in California as one of seven children. He served his country in the Coast Guard during WW II and again, as an aircraft mechanic in the Air Force during the Korean War. He met his wife, Mary Jane, at a U.S.O. dance in California in June, 1945, and they married on Feb. 7, 1047. They started a family and remained in California until 1956 when Jack's love of aviation led him to a career as a flight engineer for Trans World Airlines. Based in New York and Boston for 29 years, he flew around the world on the Lockheed Constellation, the Boeing 707 and the L-1011. When he wasn't flying at work, he was flying at home in an open-cockpit, low-wing sport plane he built in the basement of his Stoneham, MA home. When he finished building the plane, he needed a place to park it, so he purchased land across from Skyhaven Airport in Rochester, NH and built a home where he and his wife lived for 33 years after their children were grown. In his early years, Jack built scale model U-control planes, including a TWA Constellation and a Sikorsky 29-A, which are now on display in the New England Air Museum and the Sikorsky Air Museum in Connecticut. One of his last projects was a beautifully crafted cedar wood strip canoe. He was actively involved in the NH Aviation Historical Society and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) as a member of Chapters 106 and 225. The EAA awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award and an Award of Excellence. Monthly meetings were held in his workshop that he called, "The Barn." He guided the chapter members as they restored several experimental airplanes over the years. Many of his friends, young and old, have said that Jack was an inspiration and a mentor to them. Jack was a builder, an inventor, and a clever innovator who loved spending his free time in The Barn. A steady stream of friends and neighbors would stop by to ask for advice or help with a mechanical problem, to chat, or to swap stories by the potbellied woodstove. The popcorn was always fresh, and the fridge in The Barn was filled with beverages that Jack was quick to offer, along with a joke and a smile. Jack loved music and dancing with his wife, Mary Jane. The Barn was not only filled with friends, every tool imaginable and aviation memorabilia, but also the sounds of Glenn Miller, Dixieland Jazz and Chet Atkins & Les Paul. The Barn was Jack's Heaven on Earth. He marveled at the beauty of the sunrise each morning and loved to ride his tractor in the fields surrounding his home. He enjoyed bird watching and hand feeding a chipmunk he named, "Alvin," that visited him in The Barn every summer for a number of years. He was "Papa" to his family and was always there for his 3 children. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Mary Jane Denison of York, ME; his daughter, Susan Anderson (and her husband, Bob) of Dexter, MI; his daughter, Laurel Denison (and her husband, John T. McHenry) of Enfield, NH; his son, Todd Denison (and his wife Debbie) of Stoneham, MA; his four grandsons, Don Harrod, Tim Harrod, Michael Denison (and his wife, Laura), and Jon Denison, as well as two great-grandsons, Jack R. Denison and Sam Denison. Jack also leaves a brother, James Denison (and his wife, Ann) of Long Beach, CA, as well as a number of nieces and nephews. A celebration of Jack's life will be held at a later date. Details will be announced in this paper. Memorial donations may be sent to the Inn at Deerfield (P.O. Box 87, Deerfield, NH 03037), the wonderful assisted living facility for people with dementia where Jack received loving and gentle care during the last five years of his life. Donations may also be made to the Hyder Family Hospice House where Jack spent his final days in the warm, compassionate care of their supportive staff. (www.seacoasthospice.org). The Denison family is truly grateful to these two non-profit organizations for their support.