Dennis Kirby, age 68, of Grinnell, died on Saturday, September 8, 2012, at Grinnell Health Care Center. A celebration of his life will be held 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, September 12, 2012 at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell with the Rev. Bonnie Koeppen, pastor of the Malcom United Methodist Church, officiating. Interment will be in Ivy Hill Cemetery in Malcom. Visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday at the Smith Funeral Home and the family will be present to greet friends from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday evening. Memorials may be designated to the Dennis Kirby Memorial Fund, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with his family at www.smithfh.com. Dennis was born on March 10, 1944, in Grinnell, Iowa to Raymond and Elaine (Johnson) Kirby. He was raised in Malcom and he graduated from Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcom High School with the class of 1962. He was united in marriage to Carol May Davis on February 9, 1973, at Hillside Church of Christ in Marshalltown, Iowa. The couple made their home in Malcom, where they raised their four daughters, Cynthia, Debra, Amanda and Rachel. Dennis worked at Fisher Controls in Marshalltown as a lathe machine operating specialist for 35 years, retiring in 1999. Dennis was an outdoorsman who loved to fish and hunt. He dearly loved his family and enjoyed taking his girls fishing at Diamond Lake near Montezuma and to his Uncle Keith's pond near Keswick. He held a special love for his grandson, Walid Johnson, Jr., who was his pride and joy the last eleven years of his life. He was a farmer at heart that enjoyed living on a farm. In his youth, he was active in FFA and he later raised Appaloosa horses and Seminole cattle. He then helped his daughters when they were active in 4H. His other enjoyments were helping Bob Slagle harvest his crop, gardening, and going on trips with his family. He recently took his last trip to see the ocean in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Dennis is survived by his wife of 39 years, Carol Kirby of Grinnell; his daughters, Cynthia Kirby of Des Moines, Iowa, Debra Johnson of Chicago, Illinois, Amanda Kirby of Iowa City, Iowa, and Rachel Kirby of Grinnell; a grandson, Walid Johnson, Jr.; and three siblings, Karen (Gerald) Duncan of Grinnell, Richard (Janet) Kirby of Malcom, and Patricia (Mike) LaKose of Grabill, Indiana. He was preceded in death by his parents.