Patricia Ann Dennis

Patricia (Pat) Ann Mooney was born August 12, 1936, in Bristow, Oklahoma, to Arlie and Gatha (Slead) Mooney. Her parents moved to Chelsea when Pat was three years old and attended Chelsea schools where she graduated in 1954. That same year she met her future husband, Don Dennis, from the Sequoyah area through mutual friends. 

While Don served with the Army in Germany, she attended Tulsa Tech, majoring in the field of computers. After graduating, she worked for the Air Force in communications, and following Don’s return from duty they married on June 27, 1959. 

When the Air Force transferred to Tinker, Pat elected to resign as she and
Don had just purchased a new home in Bixby. She quickly was hired by Jersey Research Center to work in their computer center.

In late 1964, the company announced a merger with Humble in Houston so Pat resigned due to the fact Don and her were expecting the birth of their first and only child, Derek.  In June of 1965, Pat went to work for the Corp of Engineers, in Tulsa. She started as a keypunch operator, and retired after 30 years with the government in February 1992.  One of her greatest awards while at the Corp of Engineers was that she was voted boss of the year in 1988 by the Professional Women of the Five Nation Tribe. At the time of her retirement, she was chief of computer operations, technical library, and communications at the Krypto facility.

Her retirement from the Corp fit in with the birth of her first grandchild, Brittany.  Pat wanted to be her caregiver. She continued that grandma tradition with all four grandchildren until they were in school. Pat also worked with her husband and son with their cattle operation and hay baling until they retired from the cattle business.  Pat and Don traveled with her sister, Wilma, and brother-in-law, Don Moore, until her husband became ill. She ceased all her interests to care for him until he passed away in 2014.

Pat renewed a friendship with Kendall, a longtime friend she started 1st grade with. Pat and Kendall spent many weekends just hanging out and traveling with Kendall’s daughter Teresa to New Mexico and Arizona getting to see many natural wonders in that part of the country. Kendall passed away in 2020, but Kendall’s family kept the relationship going with Pat. 

Pat’s passion was all about family and reading. She has read more than 5,000 books over the years. She was a member of the Will Rogers Round-Up club for many years with her husband Don. She was an honorary Sequoyah Alumni Committee member once the grandchildren began school, where she assisted with fundraising for the scholarship program. She was a member of the Eastern Hills Baptist Church where she enjoyed studying God’s Word with Ruth’s Sunday School class and the fellowship of many church members.

Patricia Ann Dennis departed this world after a brief illness on December 16, 2023 surrounded by her family. She was preceded in death by her husband Don Dennis, parents, Arlie and Gatha Mooney,  brother Jack Mooney, sisters Wilma Moore, Barbara Plank, and Wanda Freeman, beloved nephew Donald Moore, special niece Angela Hays, and her lifelong friend Kendall (Wood) Conduff. 

She is survived by her beloved son, Derek Dennis, and his wife, Cheryl of Claremore Ok; grandchildren Brittany Dennis of Claremore Ok; Alicia Bickford and husband Brandon of Broken Arrow; Anthony Dennis and Patrick Dennis of Claremore, Ok; her great-granddaughter, Amelia Dennis of Claremore, Ok; her brother, Joe Mooney of Claremore Ok; her sisters Gwen Fleming of El Dorado Hills, CA, and Carol Sellers of Fairland, Ok and her longtime friend and Godmother to Derek, Jeanie Westfield of Tulsa OK.