Dennis Ball

Dennis “Denny” Hubert Ball passed away at his home in Durango from natural causes on Sunday, December 11, 2016 surrounded by his beloved family.

Denny was the second child born to parents Beulah Pearl (Markham) Ball and Vernie Ball at home in Sumner, MI on April 10, 1930. Denny joined the US Air Force in 1949 as a helicopter mechanic. After a four year service, Denny met Dolores McCabe and the two married in 1953. They had one son, Danny Ball. Their marriage ended in 1969. Denny worked as a General Foreman at Fisher Body, a division of General Motors, in Lansing, MI. Here he pursued his passion for working on cars, which was both his livelihood and lifelong hobby.

On January 31, 1970, Denny, married Barbara (Uribe) Ball. With this marriage he inherited two children; BJ and Kevin. All three of his children were his pride and joy. Denny and his family moved to Durango in 1979 where he owned and operated local car washes. Denny and Barbara were married until her passing in 2000. On February 27, 2001 Denny married Lucille (Nestor) Ball, whom he met in Durango. With this marriage he gained two step-children, Leroy and Virginia to whom he was very close. Lucille and Denny loved to dress up and go square dancing. They also loved to travel and made many trips to visit family and friends in Arizona. His relatives and friends remember him as an outdoorsman; a handyman; a simple man with a gentle soul. Even though he was a man’s-man through and through, his favorite t-shirt was a light shade of pink.

He was the type of grandpa that took the time to go fishing and camping with the kids. He taught his grand-children the best way to cook an egg was over a campfire in a cast-iron skillet in the leftover bacon grease. He enjoyed working with tools and would spend his days outside working on various home improvement projects or tinkering in the garage on his old Chevrolet pickup truck. After a long day spent in the sun, he would routinely crack open a Pepsi and sit on the porch and read a western novel. He was a man of faith and was a member of the Durango Christian Church and Christ the King Lutheran Church for many years. Denny loved his life, and attributed much of his happiness to his family and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his second wife Barbara, his brother Gary Bruce Ball, and his son Kevin Ball. All were taken far too soon, and lived in his heart until the day he passed away.

Surviving relatives include: His wife Lucille Ball of Durango, CO; Children BJ Uribe-Ball of Fort Collins, CO; Danny Ball of Ovid, MI; Leroy Olbert of Bayfield, CO; and Virginia West of Phoenix, AZ; Siblings: Virgiline Brownridge of Sturgis, MI., Nancy Teed of Elm Hall, MI., John Ball of Riverdale, MI and Randy Ball of Phoenix, AZ. His grandchildren are Natese, Brittney, Melissa, Garrett, Wyatt, Dennis, David, and Emma. His great-grandchildren are Bailey Jo, Madison, and Angela.

Denny had a wonderful life and wants to thank his community for making it so.

A memorial service will take place at Christ the King Lutheran church in Durango on Friday, December 16, 2016 at 10:30am. The family encourages guests to wear the color pink and/or cowboy boots in Denny’s memory.