Following an extended hospitalization for pulmonary fibrosis and brief period of hospice care, Dennis Gotcher passed away peacefully and painlessly on October 5, 2024, having had the opportunity to say his goodbyes to family members. Dennis was born in Detroit, Michigan to Dennis Earl and Addie Gotcher on August 21, 1942, the seventh of twelve children. Dennis grew up on the west side of Detroit and graduated from Mumford High School before entering the US Air Force and being stationed in Duluth, Minnesota. He took advantage of the opportunity to attend the University of Minnesota while he served, completing three years of college prior to discharge. Upon his return home, his college education was completed at Wayne State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in special education.

He found his calling as a special educator, teaching and ultimately serving as the director at the Children’s Orthogenic School, in Detroit. Before moving to Maryland with his family, he also taught at the Moore School for Boys with at-risk adolescents. In Maryland, he taught in Anne Arundel County for a few years before taking a position in Howard County, where he taught at the high school level. In addition to teaching, Dennis coached high school soccer, softball and basketball for many years as well as coordinating the Special Olympics program for Howard County. He also created the Teens of Howard County with a variety of programs for teens, including Impact Magazine which gave interested students a means of developing and showcasing their writing skills. Dennis served as a resource teacher specializing in technology, teaching teachers for the last several years of his career. In all, he taught a total of forty-two years at the time of his retirement. Upon retiring, Dennis and his wife Jeanne moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina where the winters were warmer, with easier access to the beaches of South Carolina that he loved so much.

Dennis is survived by his wife of forty years, Jeanne Stadel, and his five children: Jay (Corby) Swindle, of Detroit, Michigan, Jami Gotcher, of McIntosh, Florida, Leslie Weston of Redford, Michigan, Jason (Heather) Gotcher of Woodbine, Maryland, and Alison Haughney of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, as well as nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his two older sisters, Lily Thornton of Farmington Hills, Michigan, and Denise Stacks of Phoenix, Arizona, as well as his younger brother, Ronnie Gotcher of Detroit, Michigan.

Sports have played an important part in Dennis’ life. In addition to his time coaching, Dennis played on a men’s soccer team for many years, taking up tennis in his later life and playing nearly every day through his seventies. He also was an avid fisherman. Fishing was an important part of his life as a child growing up, and he retained that interest into adulthood. All his children and grandchildren have happy, peaceful memories of crabbing and fishing with him. Dennis and Jeanne spent a great deal of time at their condo in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, where Dennis frequently went on deep sea fishing excursions, often sharing his catch with others. He had a great love of the ocean, and these remembrances were some of the happiest of his life.

In addition, Dennis inherited a love of gardening from his mother, and spent a great deal of energy planting flowers and vegetables in his garden. His green thumb was evident in the beautiful and varied mix of plants that adorned his walkway each year and in the range of heirloom vegetables grown for the family table. His pleasure in watching the plants sprout and yield flowers and fruit never faltered.

Dennis is remembered as a supportive husband, father and grandfather who cared deeply for his family members as well as others who came into his life. He leaves behind a legacy of love.

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