Dennis A Thorp

Dennis A Thorp, of Enterprise, AL, 71, passed away on Friday, December 25, 2015, as a result of a long battle with diabetes and cancer. His family was by his side when he drifted off to be with the Lord.Over the course of his lifetime, Dennis served a country he truly loved for over 40 years. He lived his life on a big scale and touched many lives. His military service included Nuclear Weapons Specialist; Paratrooper; several tours in Vietnam, a tiny statistic of a life lost due to exposure to Agent Orange (diabetes, kidney failure, and bladder and bone cancer); a Flight Test Pilot and Commercial Airline Pilot; and a Flight Instructor at Fort Rucker, AL, from 1974 to 2005. He touched the lives of many flight students around the world and he cherished and loved every one of them. Dennis also believed in giving back to the community by volunteering his time which included the Boy Scouts/Explorers; Reserve Police Officer, EMT, and Fire Rescue in Daleville, AL, from 1977 to 1985; he coached youth baseball, soccer, basketball, and swimming and served as a USA Swimming Official from 2000 to 2012. He lived to mentor or help anyone in need.Dennis was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond Fremont Thorp, Sr., Kansas City, MO, and his mother, Cynthia Mae Yoe Simons, Valley Falls, KS.Survivors include his wife, Patricia Badia Thorp, Enterprise, AL; daughter, Michelle C. M. Thorp, Enterprise, AL; grandchildren, C. Wyatt Simmons and Maliyah E. Williams, both of Enterprise, AL; God-son, Cody Rhyne (Jade), Nortonville, KS; sister-in-law and her family, Barbara A. Badia Preston (Tom), Enterprise, AL, and their children, Carrie A. Preston Kent (Louis), Enterprise, AL and Christopher L. Preston, Atlanta, GA; brother, Raymond Fremont Thorp, Jr., Saint Louis, MO; sister, Judith Mae Thorp Casady, Lees Summit, MO; brother-in-law and his family, Peter A. Badia (Donya) and their children, Joseph W. Badia (Brittany) and P. Anthony Badia (Danielle), all of Tallahassee, FL; numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, great-great nieces and nephews, cousins and extended family, which include the states of AL, MO, KS, IL, IA, DE, and FL.A celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, January 9, 2016, at the Grace Place Church in Enterprise, AL with Pastor Donnie Thrasher officiating. The family wishes in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), www.dav.org. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Dennis A Thorp, please visit our flower store.