LAPLANDER, Dennis

Greer’s Mortuary of Winslow, Winslow, Arizona Dennis Laplander July 05, 1939 - June 13, 2013 Beloved husband and father, Dennis Laplander entered into the final leg of his journey on June 13, 2013 in Winslow, AZ. He had suffered long with stage four cancer among other life threatening issues. He was born in Hancock, Michigan on July 5, 1939. Dennis was an officer with the Tucson Police Dept. for 9 years in the 1960's. He was then drafted in to the Army and served in South Korea with the Military Police. Shortly after he was discharged he joined the U.S. Forest Service and retired in May 1994 after 25 years of service. He had been the Ranger in Sycamore Canyon for seven years before being transferred to Mount Lemon and then to Alpine, AZ for 15 years. In July 1994 he went to work for the Department of Corrections in Winslow where he retired after 10 years. He was a master woodwright and handcrafted several 16 foot runabout boats. He also built baby cribs, a full size Carousel Pony and a 4 passenger “Santa Sleigh” for the Deer Farm. He often gave hand crafted butterflies and hummingbirds to friends. He loved hiking with his son David and boating on Lake Powell. He is survived by his wife, Karen; children, Robert, David and Deeann; bonus children, Allen, David S., Todd & Amy. A celebration of Dennis’ life will be held Wed. June 19, 2013 at 11:00 AM at Greer’s Mortuary Chapel.