Dennis Edward Selvage

Dennis Edward Selvage passed away at his home in St George, Utah, on March 14, 2026. He had just celebrated his 80th birthday in December. Dennis was born in Martinez, California, on December 30, 1945, to Leeman Selvage and Dores Selvage-Storey. They later moved to Indiana, where Dennis graduated from Noblesville High School in 1963 and enlisted in the United States Air Force at the age of 17. He proudly served during the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged in 1967. While stationed in Hawaii, Dennis attended the University of Hawaii and also met his first wife, Rea. Dennis and Rea have three children together: Kimberly, Stacy, and Jason. Their paths took them to Indiana and then on to Salt Lake City, Utah, where they later divorced. Dennis then married Lenore (Noni), and together they had four children: Shawn, Chris, Daryl, and Heather, and he became stepdad to Alan Daniels. In 2005, Dennis met Debbie Smith, and they were married for time and all eternity in the Saint George Temple. Dennis then became the loving stepdad to Debbie’s three children: Robert, Cami, and Carlie. Debbie remained Dennis’ devoted companion until his passing. Dennis had a long and diverse work history. Following his stint with the US Air Force, he worked for National Cash Register in Honolulu. When he moved his little family back to Indiana in the early 70s, Dennis started his long career in telecommunications. After working for Indiana Bell for 2½ years, he then moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he spent more than 30 years working for Mountain Bell, AT&T, and Lucent. In his early years he was climbing telephone poles; when he retired he was a Senior Software Specialist. After retirement from Lucent, he was able to contribute his telecommunications expertise in setting up telephone systems for multiple venues in the SLC 2002 Winter Olympics. In 2004, Dennis and Debbie moved to St George, Utah, where he spent 11 years doing golf course maintenance for the City of St George. This was a dream job for someone who loved to golf as much as Dennis did. Following that job, Dennis then started working part-time for the Balance of Nature warehouse as a truck driver. Dennis was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ and held the office of High Priest. He loved the many opportunities he had to serve over the years. One of the most memorable was when he and Debbie served together as senior missionaries in the Dallas, Texas Mission. This experience brought them great joy, amazing memories, and strengthened their faith. Dennis was preceded in death by his parents, Leeman Selvage and Dores Ramer-Storey; stepfather Ernie Ramer; stepfather Robert Storey; and brother David Ramer. He is survived by a long list of people who love him dearly: his siblings, Doug “Buck” (Jeanette) Ramer and Debbie Burke; his beloved wife, Debbie Smith Selvage; and his multitude of children: Kimberly Newman, Stacy (James) Wylie, Jason (Angela), Shawn, Chris, Daryl (Lacy), and Heather (Chad); and stepchildren: Robert (Susan) Cottam, Cami (Josh) Tate, and Carlie (Brandon) Rencher. His pride and joy were his 24 grandchildren: Zackary, Bryton, Chase (Linnea), Tyler, Nicholas, Joshua, McKayla, Avery, Jordan, Kayson, Kaedynce, Keegan, Hazel, Camron (Iris), Corey, Caden, Jaycie, Mackenzie, Calin, Campbell, Marlie, Hyrum, Lincoln, and William. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, he also had five great-grandchildren: Astrid, Indie, Theo, Laila, and Mia. A Celebration of Life will be held for Dennis on Saturday, March 21, at 11:00 a.m. at the LDS Chapel, 1222 E. Brigham Rd, St George, UT 84790. Military honors will be provided by the American Legion following the service. Arrangements are under the direction of Serenity Funeral Home of Southern Utah, 435-986-9100.