Earl “Dennis” Poppell, 86, of Tallahassee, Fla., passed away peacefully with his wife by his side on Nov. 3 after a six-year battle with dementia.
Dennis was born on March 23, 1936, to Vince and Mertice Poppell in Lamont, Fla. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 34 years, Sandra Randolph Poppell; son, Dennis Wayne Poppell (Debbie) of Perry Fla.; daughters, Darlene Faris (Chris) and Sandra Chapman (Monte), both of Tallahassee; stepsons, Greg Randolph (Rachel) of St.Cloud, Fla., and Tim Randolph of Tallahassee; 13 grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
Dennis was preceded in death by his parents, Vince and Mertice Poppell; brother, Farrah Vince Poppell; and sister, Leela Mae Poppell CrabTree.
Dennis served as an Army private at the end of the Korean War, where he was in charge of K-9 German Shepherds protecting U.S. equipment.
He retired from the Florida Dept. of Corrections, where he served as a lieutenant at the Tallahassee Road Prison. He was an active part of the prison’s search teams, where he trained both Bloodhounds and German Shepherds to track escaped inmates.
He loved the outdoors, where he enjoyed hunting, fishing and gardening. He was often called the Daniel Boone of this time. He also had a special place in his heart for dogs, which he worked with throughout his life and especially enjoyed the time he spent with them during a hunt.
A private graveside service will be held at Walker Cemetery in Lamont, Fla.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Big Bend Hospice.
