Dennis O McMullen

Dennis Ormand McMullen was born in Seattle, WA on 1/31/1948, the 3rd child of Harley Roy (Mac) McMullen and Agnes Marion Loraine Lagerquist McMullen. Like his two older brothers and his younger sister, he worked in the family restaurant, Hal’s, from the age of 7. There he honed his lifelong commitment to hard work and his cooking expertise. He graduated from Lincoln High School, where he participated in track and chorus and excelled academically. Among other awards, he was recognized as a National Merit Semifinalist.

He attended Stanford University, where he first majored in math, planning to be a high school math teacher. Dennis worked in food service, lettered in soccer, joined Kappa Alpha Fraternity, belonged to the El Torro Eating Club, learned to fly a small plane, and attended Stanford in Austria. He sang in all the choirs he could, including the newly formed men’s a cappella chorus, the Mendicants. He spent an evening with Leonard Bernstein and sang as part of the Stanford Choir with the San Francisco Symphony under the direction of Sergie Ozawa. He remains (in)famous as “Toad,” who lived in a converted 1940s school bus in the Toyon parking lot.

After graduating in 1972 with a degree in Music, Dennis spent the next year as the Associate to the Directors at the Stanford in Austria campus in Vienna. There, he met and married a student, the love of his life, Cindy Duffy. They raised their three daughters, Amy, Carrie, and Suzanne and built an amazing life together.

They moved to Spokane the day Expo 74 opened, and Dennis attended Gonzaga Law School at night while working full-time, graduating in 1977. He encouraged Cindy to follow him to law school and she graduated the year after he did. After a short time working for another attorney, he opened his own firm in 1979. A few years later, he persuaded Cindy to join him at McMullen Law Office, where they practiced together for almost 40 years. Dennis retired at the end of 2024.

Dennis was a Renaissance man. At one time or another, he was a member of Spokane Valley Lions, Spokane Valley Sunrise Rotary Club, and the Knights of Columbus (serving at one time as the Grand Knight).

Cindy and Dennis loved to travel, both in the USA and to Europe, Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. They enjoyed several cruise trips, including their last to Greece and the Adriatic this past summer.

Dennis was a journeyman carpenter and skilled DIY craftsman. He remodeled most of the family home, including the kitchen and main bathroom, constructed the family room in the basement, rebuilt the fireplace, and laid hardwood floors throughout the house. He enhanced the backyard with a brick patio, a wooden deck, a wooden pergola, and beautiful gardens.

Dennis was an avid hunter, bringing home birds, deer, elk, moose, caribou, and a bear over the years. He loved the outdoors, especially sharing hunting with his daughters and sons-in-law, and the sons and grandchildren of his late brother Pat. He was an active member of the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council and served as their attorney for many years. He hiked part of the Pacific Crest Trail and summitted Mr. Ranier. He considered any day in nature a great day.

Dennis was active in his daughters’ lives, with the University High School Boosters Club (where he served as President) and also with the Band Boosters, where he chaperoned many trips for out-of-town performances. He admitted that his girls were smarter than he was, and bragged about them whenever he could.

He was a Lifetime Girl Scout, Cindy’s assistant leader for their daughters’ troops, particularly for camping trips, and leader of the boys’ unit for several years at summer day camp. As a boy, he was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout, achieving the rank of Life Scout. He returned to Boy Scouts as a Venture Crew leader and Adult Scouter, earning his Wood Badge in 2000, specializing in Dutch oven cooking. He was thrilled to go to Philmont with Troop 441 in 2008.

A proud Bloomsday Perennial, he looked forward to the 50th running in 2026. Family and friends plan to “do Bloomsday” in Dennis’ memory, customizing their bibs with “McFriend.”

For over 29 years, Dennis was a very active tenor in the Spokane Barbershop Chorus, formerly known as the Pages of Harmony, now Lilac City Voices. He established and managed their foundation; served as President twice and was their 2023 Barbershopper of the Year.

One of his passions was wine-making. Yearly, he would buy about 1000 lbs of various varieties of red grapes from TriCities’ vineyards and craft his “Far Farr Winery” wines. He enjoyed making and drinking his wines, but loved sharing them even more.

The most important thing in Dennis’ life was his family. He deeply loved and cherished his wife, Cindy, supporting her in all her endeavors. He was tremendously proud of his daughters, not just for their many accomplishments, but more for the caring women they are. He was thrilled to gain sons, Thomas, John, and Jeffrey, when the girls married. He reveled in being “Pops” to his grandchildren, Callum, Declan, Hazel, Matilda, and Sam.

Above all, Dennis was a casual, happy and fun-loving soul. He introduced himself as “Dennis the Menace” or having a “B-“ personality -- mellow, but above average. Others referred to him as a leprechaun, with his twinkling eyes and mischievous grin. He loved to tell humorous stories about himself, always joking about his foibles and mishaps. One friend called him a “gentle man who made others feel welcome.” Dennis lived his life serving others.

Dennis is survived by his wife of 52 years, Cindy, and their daughters’ families, the Kays – Amy, Tom, Callum and Declan; the Bohans – Carrie and John; and the Bauers – Suzi, Jeff, Hazel, Tilda and Sam; his older brother Michael and his children and grandchildren, and the children and grandchildren of his deceased brother, Patrick, and deceased sister, Kathleen.

If you want to honor Dennis, please consider donating to the blood bank or contributing to the Foundation for the Lilac City Voices.