Dennis Doutt, age 67, of 21503 Meadville Street, Venango, PA, died Sunday, January 17, 2010, at Meadville Medical Center. He was a lifelong resident of the Venango area. Born in Cambridge Township, Crawford County, PA, on November 28, 1942, he was a son of the late Richard Joseph Doutt and Betty Gene Zilhaver Doutt. On April 24, 1965, he married the former Carole Marie Melvin, and she survives.
Doutt, DennisDennis was diagnosed in June, 2006, with multiple myeloma. He fought the disease courageously and without complaint, and his positive and outgoing attitude allowed him to make the most of every opportunity. He lived and breathed by the Golden Rule and was a trusted confidant always eager to lend a listening ear to anyone who needed a friend.
After graduating from Cambridge Springs High School with the class of 1960, he served in the US Navy from 1960-1963 aboard the United States destroyer USS Barry. In October 1962, the USS Barry was one of the naval ships involved in the blockade of Cuba which forced the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis. While in the navy, Mr. Doutt developed a great interest in his tool and die training. Upon leaving the Navy, he worked for a brief time for American Viscose of Meadville and then joined Leech Tool and Die where he worked for twenty years honing his skills as a specialist in surface grinding and building and repairing dies. In 1978, he founded his own company, Doutt Tool, located on Gravel Run Road, Venango, where he continued as owner-operator until the present.
Dennis was a member of St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church of Drakes Mills where he served on the church council. He was also a member of VFW Post #2006 of Meadville and the Venango Volunteer Fire Department. A special interest of his was participating in the building of the Venango community basketball courts. He was a coach for the Cambridge Springs and Venango Little League baseball and softball teams for twenty-four years, mentoring his many players to reach their full potential. He was known as the ultimate spectator at his daughters’ and grandsons’ many sporting events, never missing a game. A member of the Pioneer Steam Engine Society, he enjoyed restoring and pulling his antique tractors. Finally, he loved cutting his own fire wood and planting and tending his garden with his grandchildren. He especially enjoyed harvesting pumpkins in the fall.
Besides his wife, Carole, Dennis is survived by his four daughters – Diana L. Ferris and her husband, Randy of Cambridge Springs; Vanessa Ranee Krepps and her husband, Kyle of Titusville; Chanda Kay Rice and her husband, Charles of Saegertown; and Olivia Christine Doutt of Akron, NY. Also surviving are six grandchildren – Jarred and Jacob Ferris; and Nicholas, Maxwell, Owen, and Kasey Krepps; a brother – David B. Doutt and his wife, Linda and a sister – Deborah G. Smith and her husband, Charles all of Venango. Several nieces and nephews also survive.
Friends may call at the Van Matre Family Funeral Home, Cambridge Springs, on Wednesday 7-9 and Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9. Funeral services will be held at St. Paul?????s Lutheran Church, Drakes Mill on Friday morning at 11:00. Reverend Donald Hake, former pastor of the church, will officiate. Interment will take place in Venango Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Family House-Shadyside, 5245 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232; Cambridge Springs Kiwanis Club “Christmas for Kids” program, c/o John Anderson, 26405 Mount Pleasant Rd., Cambridge Springs, PA 16403; or St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Memorial Fund, 25812 Pleasant Road, Cambridge Springs, PA 16403.