Dennis A. Gaither

Dennis A. “Denny” Gaither, 72, of Bristol, passed away Thursday ,Feb. 5, 2015 at Elkhart General Hospital.

He was born Sept. 2, 1942 in Alexandria, IN to Lloyd E. and Mildred L. (Lovell) Gaither. He married Patricia A. (Stoner) Smith on May 5, 1990 in Elkhart. She survives along with 3 daughters, Lisa (Keven Plite) Gaither of Grand Rapids, MI, Denise (Jim) Hensley of Elkhart and Kelli (Kevin) Gaither-Banchoff of Tucson, AZ; a step-son, Aaron (Micah) Smith of Baton Rouge, LA; 9 grandchildren, 1 great-grandson and a brother, Jack Gaither of Sturgis, MI. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Denny graduated from LaGrange High School in 1960 and retired as a manager in Information Technology. He previously was a barber and owned the The Accent Shop at the former Bacon Hill in Elkhart. Denny was a very strong advocate for animals and animal rights and volunteered for the Humane Society of Elkhart County.

Visitation will be from 4-8 pm Friday, Feb. 13th at Stemm-Lawson-Peterson Funeral Home, Elkhart, where services will be held at 10 am Saturday, Feb. 14th. Pastor David Howe will officiate. Burial will follow at Rice Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Humane Society of Elkhart County. Online condolences may be sent to www.stemmlawsonpeterson.