Obituary of Dennis McMahan

A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 14, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. at Norkenzie Christian Church, 2530 Crescent Avenue. Dennis passed away on February 1, 2020, after suffering from dementia. Dennis was born to Avery Clyde and Esther Ida (Niemann) McMahan in Lake City (now Rocky Top), TN. The family moved to Nebraska for several years and then on to Lebanon, Oregon, where Dennis graduated from high school in 1963. Dennis received a B.S. in biology from the University of Oregon and earned his pharmacy degree from Oregon State University in 1974. He enlisted in the army in 1967 and was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio, the Ninth Med Lab in Long Binh Viet Nam from 1969-1970, and finally the Presidio in San Francisco. Dennis was a hospital pharmacist at Bay Area Hospital in Coos Bay from 1974-1978. He then worked at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eugene from 1978-2008 when he retired. Most of his years at Sacred Heart were spent as the ICU pharmacist, and he was known for being meticulous in performing his work. Dennis and Audrey SUE (Cook) McMahan met on a blind date in May 1967 and after a total of three dates were married at Ft. Sam Houston on July 19, 1968. Letters were being exchanged almost daily during that time, so a good basis for a long-lasting relationship was formed. This also helped establish a firm foundation for raising two daughters, Kaeley and Darcy. Dennis was a gentle, caring, and supportive father and his daughters and grandchildren have many wonderful memories of the time they spent with him. Dennis was an avid sports fan, particularly of the Oregon Ducks football and track teams. There are many fond memories of being in the east grandstand at Hayward field during Olympic trials, championship meets, and watching Steve Prefontaine run, which was a highlight. His loyalty to the Ducks was such that our family, along with some of our friends, remained in the stands to the bitter end and during a drenching rain to watch the infamous 1983 “toilet bowl” game between the Ducks and Beavers that ended up a 0-0 tie. Dennis was a dedicated runner and participated in many road races and marathons, as well as running to or from work at Sacred Heart Hospital for many years. The pinnacle of his running career was reaching his goal of running a sub three-hour marathon, which he did in a time of 2 hours 56 minutes and 55 seconds in the 1984 Nike marathon. Once he reached his goal, he said he didn’t have to run another one; however, he did continue to run for fun for many years. Many adjectives/phrases can be used to describe Dennis…family focused, highly intelligent, kind, gentle, a quiet man of faith, diligent and dependable worker, stubborn, meticulous, quiet but yet talkative...all of which and more are true. Survivors include his wife Sue, daughter Kaeley McMahan of Winston-Salem, NC; daughter Darcy (Danny) Miller and grandchildren Grace and Owen Miller of Coburg, OR. He is also survived by brothers Robert (Betty) McMahan of Vale, OR; Terry McMahan of Salem, OR; sisters Shirley (Harland) Smith of Sweet Home, OR; Helen Foster (Holland) Branum of Andersonville, TN; and sister-in-law Chris (Gary) McMahan of Albany, OR. In addition, he is survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Dennis was predeceased by his parents and his brother Gary McMahan. The family is very thankful to the wonderful caregivers at The Rawlin who took such good care of Dennis in the last few months of his life; their care and kindness, both to Dennis and the family, are much appreciated. We would also like to thank the staff at University District Hospital and Sacred Heart Hospice for their care of Dennis during his hospitalization there. Some of the staff there had worked with Dennis before his retirement and knew him “back when”. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to the OHSU Foundation with “OHSU Brain Bank” on the memo line (Tina Ashling, Financial Analyst, Department of Pathology, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, Oregon, 97239), the Alzheimer’s Association, another dementia research organization of your choice, or Sacred Heart Hospice. Arrangements entrusted to Musgrove Family Mortuary. Please access the obituary and you are invited to sign the guestbook at musgroves.com.