Dennis Dwayne Muffenbier

Dennis Dwayne Muffenbier - our hero, father, poppa, husband, brother, caretaker, teacher and friend - was called to his spectacular eternal garden Saturday, January 27, 2024, at SMP Health - St. Aloisius in Harvey.

Dennis sprouted into the world September 29, 1938, in Rugby with a smile, a book, a couple of garden tools and likely a can of Diet Pepsi or Diet Coke. He was the second of eight children born to Mike and Johanna (DeGroot) Muffenbier. Dennis spent his childhood on the family farm near Balta, where he attended school and graduated in 11 years.

Upon graduation, he settled on teaching as his career. He attended Minot State College where he earned a teaching certificate, but his biggest achievement in college was meeting his future bride – Myrna Moszer. The two married June 4, 1958, and immediately set out on a dual teaching assignment in a rural school north of Williston. After 13 years of teaching around the state, Dennis decided – much to his father’s delight – to give farming another go.

Dennis and Myrna relocated to Rugby in 1975 after purchasing the A&W Restaurant. Dennis excelled in the ice cream department, mastering the art of THE largest hot fudge sundaes (mostly for himself). It was at this time he decided to go back to teaching and enrolled at Minot State to finish his bachelor’s degree. As a guy who flat-out loved to work, Dennis became a Certified Nursing Assistant to fill his “free” time when the A&W was closed for the season and when he wasn’t in Minot taking classes. After earning his bachelor’s degree, he taught Title One reading and math in Rugby until 2009 when he retired after a 42-year career.

Dennis planned to continue working as a CNA on a part-time basis, but as a guy who could not say no to the call of duty, he worked full-time plus. He was forced into an unwanted “early” retirement due to a shoulder injury he suffered on the job at the age of 78. His final and most favorite stint was as a volunteer in guest relations at the hospital, which he did until the COVID epidemic in 2020. His kind and caring personality, his passion for HAMC and his attention to detail earned him the 2019 North Dakota Rural Volunteer of the Year. As humble a man as he was, Dennis took tremendous pride in the honor.

Dennis’s greatest love was family. He cherished his role as "Poppa" and enjoyed every opportunity to see his grandchildren. His second retirement allowed him to fully focus on his favorite hobby – gardening. And with more time on his hands, he not only tended to the very large garden in his backyard but found additional garden spaces around the county. Dennis was an avid reader of many genres of books, westerns in particular. He loved to travel and explore and had a peculiar knowledge of world geography. If he wasn’t watching the weather channel, he enjoyed watching sports – especially NBA basketball. He liked a variety of board and card games, but none as much as Farkle. One of his favorite pastimes was to get in his truck and drive. He passed on the "art of an errand the Muffenbier way" (i.e. a one-hour errand that somehow turns into four) to each of his kids. Thankfully.

Dennis was smart, strong, humble, gentle, kind, compassionate and caring. He had a wonderful sense of humor and a beautiful singing voice. He was deeply devoted to his family, his jobs, his church and his community. He impacted and touched countless lives – not just locally, but around the state – as a teacher, a healthcare professional and an avid gardener. It was an annual ritual for him to share his harvest with people everywhere, and lots of children have wonderful memories of picking out pumpkins and gourds in his magnificent garden.

Dennis was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease around 2017. It devastated his body as dementia stole his mind. His last two years were extra challenging as the diseases robbed him of everything he loved to do. He spent the final four months of his life in long-term care at St. Aloisius, where he had an absolutely incredible and unparalleled team of care professionals. His final 15 minutes of life were peaceful. He was surrounded by his family with Silent Night - his favorite song - on replay. Then, as he has always done throughout his life, Dennis left his family to start another project - his vast eternal garden, as well as the ultimate guardian angel to his family.

Dennis will be missed every single day by his survivors – wife Myrna; children Kathy, Peggy (Jim) and Mike (Michelle); grandchildren Alec (Ari), Ali (Derek), Jace (Alison), Bailey (Jake) and Grant; daughter-in-law Brenda; bonus daughter Sue; brothers Larry (Diane) and Rod; sister Mary Lou (John); sister-in-law Allie; plus numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and oodles of friends. His legacy of love, laughter, gardening, hard work, the gift of gab and, of course, his love of driving will be proudly carried on by his children, grandchildren and future generations.

He was preceded in death and lovingly embraced upon entering eternity by his son, Bill; parents; parents-in-law; siblings Wesley (Rita), Gerald, Mary Ann and Joan; nephew Gerald; brother-in-law Wayne; plus an abundance of cherished relatives and friends. No doubt, thanks to Dennis, Farkle is trending in heaven.

A prayer vigil will be held Friday, April 26, at 7 p.m. at Anderson Funeral Home in Rugby. His celebration of life is Saturday, April 27, at 11 a.m. at Little Flower Catholic Church with burial at Little Flower Cemetery.