Dennis William McGurran, aged 87 of Vaughn, passed away early Sunday morning on February 12, 2023, the last remaining child of Henry Daniel McGurran and Florence Ura Bresnahan. His beloved Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl that afternoon.
Dennis was delivered by a mid-wife on June 18, 1935, the 7th of 9 children, on the family farm in Cavalier, ND. He attended High School at St. James Academy in Grand Forks, ND where he excelled in athletics.
Dennis joined the Army on July 9, 1958 as a Field Artillery Surveyor, spending two years at Fort Lewis, WA then two years in the reserves in Great Falls, MT. He met his future wife, Diane Guile, at a dance in Grand Forks, ND. They married on November 19, 1958, in Denver, CO. Their loving bond of 64 years produced four children, Dan, Dave, Mark, and Shellie. In September of 1963, Dennis and Diane bought a house in a new housing development (Big Sky Vista) in Vaughn.
Dennis loved the outdoors, camping with his family and teaching his boys to hunt and fish. He was a baseball coach, intense horseshoe thrower (with his brothers) and on many championship pool teams with his sons, Dan and Dave. Dennis was a lifelong painter, founding McGurran Painting early in his career.
In 1973 after years of family camping trips to various places in Montana and Canada, Dennis and Diane purchased mountain property in Wolf Creek. His pride and joy, “The Cabin,” was built in 1987 by family and carpentry/masonry friends. Other memories we will always cherish are two Alaskan cruises, Irish potato cakes, his tomato garden, and his constant attendance at his children's and then later grandchildren's sporting events.
Dennis is survived by his wife, Diane; sons, Dan (Tricia) and Mark (Jackie); daughter, Shellie Heckman (Darwin); grandchildren, Bo, Sara (Dan), Ty, Chase (Mark), Trevor, Bridger, Cade, and Walker (Shellie); and great-grandchildren, Reese, Keelan, Brynn, and Mac (all Trevor and Tana). To read the complete obituary and share condolences, visit the Schnider Funeral Home website.
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