Good evening friends.

Our friend Dennis passed away this morning. He suffers no more. He had stage four liver, spinal and bone cancer that had spread everywhere. Jessica was at the hospital 6 to 8 hours a day for the last three weeks. The pain he was in can be compared to the pain that Prisoners of War have felt.

The reports I was getting from Jessica and Mother, Jo Ann were hard to bear. Thank God he is now at peace. God showed him mercy. It could have easily played out another 6 months, as it often does. And that is no way to live.

I will share a quick story about Dennis and connect it right up until when I spoke to him 6 nights ago on the phone for the last time.

As Jessica mentioned, when my father died in 1984, about a year later, we had to move from our house. It was a huge house with an indoor swimming pool. The pool room was as big as a house in itself. So Dennis and his crew had a very big job ahead of them moving us from that house to another house.

After my mother closed on the big house and everything was moved out, we still technically owned it for a few more days. It was 1985 and I was in a serious relationship at 15. My girlfriend was only 14. She was the same girl that was on that boat that went on fire with my friends and I on it, that I recently shared with all of you. Her nickname to me and all my friends was “Sweetie” — So I asked Sweetie if should would come stay over the big house for the last official night that we owned it. She said; “But everything was moved out” — “I said I know, lets get our pillows, blankets and of course my fan and spend the night there”. I use a fan to sleep at night right up until these days to help drown out any outside noises. The fan makes a steady consistent noise and helps me sleep. Anyway, Sweetie said she was in.

So we got to the house around 9 pm. We Laid down on the hard floor with our blankets, pillows and fan, and were just kind of laughing that we were actually doing this despite the sadness of the overall realities.

About an hour later, we started to hear all this noise of people talking and laughing from the pool room. We were like “holy _hit, has this house been broken into”? — So we went to check it out , and lord have mercy, Dennis and his whole moving crew were swimming in the indoor pool having a blast and sipping on champagne. My girl was in shock. I said don’t worry, these are my friends. She was like: “Since when?” — I was like, “since two weeks ago when they started moving us out”. So we hung out with Dennis and his crew for a few hours, and as usual Dennis lifted my spirits , and my girl was happy to see me happy. Over the years, Sweetie and Dennis became very close as well, just like many of my other friends did too.

Dennis was my friend, my mentor, my marshal arts instructor and a father figure for sure. I couldn’t wait to get home to hang with him and take Karate classes all the way through high school and college. I kid you not, he was our family’s own Anthony Robbins (The world rebound life coach and such). Dennis had a soulful smile and positive outlook on life. He walked the walk. You couldn’t be negative around him, it would never last. He always unraveled my negativity and exchanged it with hope.

I will fast forward from 1985 to six nights ago on the phone with him in September of 2015. I told him he made the world a better place for all those around him. I asked him if he was going to pull through because the world needs him. He said; “I’m getting stronger every day”. That was six nights ago. My point is to say, despite the excruciating pain, and basically zero odds of pulling through by that point, he left this life on a positive note. His commitment to being positive was unbreakable, its was non negotiable. Guess who that reminded me of ? —  You got it, Judy Olsen. I spoke to Judy on the phone two weeks before she died, and she did not budge on her sense of humor or her faith.

Dennis, you made the world a better place like nobody I’ve ever seen. I hope you find Judy Olsen, Barry Smith, and our friend Michael that past away last month. What a crew that would make. We will all meet again one day, and then it will be all of us together forever. I love you.

“If They Ever Tell My Story, Let them say I Walked with Giants. Let Them Say I Lived in the time of Dennis Brown”

No lives will go in vain, no pain will go unnoticed.  Dr. Harp Seal and Scott Smith for Sammy & Family.