Dennis F Cain

Dennis F. Cain of the West End of Rockville, MD, passed away on October 11, 2020 of lung cancer at his home surrounded by his loving family. He was born on a farm June 4, 1930 in Republican City, NE, the seventh of eight children to James and Margaret Cain. After graduating from Creighton University with a BS in Chemistry, he was drafted into the army during the Korean War, serving in Alaska from 1952-1954. Following his honorable discharge, he came east to earn an MS in Biochemistry at Georgetown University in 1956, and to work at the Walter Reed Army Institute. He then went to University of Pennsylvania where he completed a PhD in Biochemistry in 1960, but more importantly, met the love of his life, Carma Farina. When they discussed marriage towards the end of 1960, Dennis suggested “Next year” and Carma replied, “Great, how about January?” They were married during a blizzard on January 21,1961 at Saint Francis de Sales Parish in Philadelphia during the weekend of John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. Dennis taught Biochemistry and worked as a researcher in the School of Veterinary Medicine at University of Pennsylvania from 1961-1968. Dennis and Carma then moved their growing family to Rockville, MD in 1968, where he began cancer research at the National Institutes of Health. Dennis dedicated his professional life to fighting cancer. Having lost his mother to cancer in 1951, he took great pride in his tireless service to NIH and the National Cancer Institute from 1968-1994. He was the chief of the Grants Review Branch and later the head of the Protocol and Information Office, where he was instrumental in the development of Physician Data Query, the first comprehensive cancer research database in the US. While there, he was also commended for donating over ten gallons of blood. Dennis was an active leader in his community and held a wide array of interests and passions. He was a co-founder of the West End Citizens Association and fought for creating a better Rockville by serving as the chair of the Minority Relations Committee for MCPS in the late 1970s, as well as serving on too many other traffic, school and neighborhood committees to count. He was always off to testify as an active and interested citizen of Rockville. He loved barbershop singing, sailing with the NIH sailing club, swimming daily at the local pool, keeping bees in his backyard and St. Elizabeth’s Alpha Group. He loved travel and nature and took his young family on many camping adventures to our national parks, including driving cross-country and across Canada. With each passion, he took every opportunity to teach anyone who was interested in learning more and he always had stories to tell. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Carma; their daughter Mary, sons Christopher, Timothy, Stephen, Brennan and their significant others, Chris, Colyn, Michelle, Viki and Rebecca. His eleven grandchildren, Ian, Conor, Zachary, Austin, Devin, Zoey, Eva, Charlotte, Oliver, Ruby, and Griffin loved and cherished spending time with their “Pop-pop”. Due to COVID restrictions, a memorial service will be planned for a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to consider a donation in Denny’s memory to World Vision Beehive, the Mansfield Kaseman Health Clinic (which he helped start), or any charity that reminds you of the impact he had on the world. Also, please honor him by voting.