Dennis was a long standing and respected member of the KRUFC.
He first came to watch his brother Brian play in the 1st XV in Season 1963-64 and soon became involved, taking over from Horace Cotton as 1st XV touch judge, which he did with others for several years.
He became Chairman in the 1970s and was a big support to his wife Barbara, when she became club stewardess from 1990 to 1993.
They were married for 62 year and had 5 children - Stephen; Janet; Paul; Robert and Neil. Barbara sadly passed away in 2020.
When Robert was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, the whole family became involved in raising money for the charity and it was through this that they met Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca in Star Wars), who came to live in Keighley for a period and was a regular attender at the club in the late 1980/90s.
Dennis was one of the group along with Joe McDowell, Stan Hutchinson, Peter Melton, Peter (Curly) Ellis who helped found Junior Rugby at Keighley in the early 1970s. Although he never played for the club, he once turned out in his hush puppies at Furnace for the 3rd team when they were short of player!
He, along with Michael Warin, were once left in Ripon on their way back from a game at Gateshead Fell and so had to take a taxi home. Each paid the taxi driver not knowing the other had already paid him!!
In recent years he was a regular attender at the Wednesday Morning gang travelling from his home in Crosshills on his mobility scooter.
Keighley RUFC express their sincere condolences to Dennis' family.
Details of Dennis' funeral arrangements will be published here when they are finalised.