Dennis P. Carey

Dennis P. Carey, 65, of Rockford passed away Sunday, June 1, 2014. Born August 12, 1948, in Rockford, the son of Richard and Rozella "Rose" (Cushman) Carey. Dennis graduated from Boylan Catholic High School, Class of 1967. He was a decorated Vietnam Veteran, serving in the United States Army. He was a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient while serving in 1968-1969. Dennis married Patricia "Pat" Eberle on February 14, 1991 in Rockford, Illinois. He worked for Smith Oil for many years and then went on to work as a Mail Handler for the United States Postal Service, retiring after 32 years. One of his memorable mottos was "If it don't go today, it'll go tomorrow." Dennis was a member of the Mail Handlers Union, a lifetime member of the Loves Park VFW Post 9759, the American Legion Post in Madison, Wisconsin and a former member of St. Patrick Catholic Church. Dennis loved M & M's, the Chicago Bears and he never missed a daily phone conversation with his mother, always starting the conversation with a classic "What's up?" The Carey Family would like to give a special thank you to Barbara, Robert, Samantha, Rose and Maggie for their kindness and care during Dennis' final days.
Survived by his wife, Pat; son, Airman 1st Class Matthew (Samantha) Carey; mother, Rose; sister, Bonnie (Myrl) Keller; brother, Ron (Denise) Carey; aunt, Joan Gaines; niece, Tina Ingram; nephews, Craig (Amy) Keller and Mark Carey; numerous great nieces and nephews and cousins; in-laws, Kathy (Glen) Larson, Tom (Kathy) Eberle and Mark (TiJuania) Eberle, and grand dogs, Mazie, Toby, Thor and Zeus. Predeceased by his father, Richard and favorite niece, Kristine "Krysti" Keller.
Funeral service will be at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 8, 2014 at Heartland Community Church with Pastor John Brennan officiating. Visitation will be from 5:30 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Saturday at the church and will continue from 2:00 p.m. until the time of service on Sunday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the family for a memorial to be established in Dennis' honor at a later date. The Carey family would like to thank Heartland Hospice for everything they did for Dennis during his final days. Fitzgerald Funeral Home & Crematory, Riverside Chapel, assisted the family. To express online condolences, please visit:www.fitzgeraldfh.com.