04/02/2026
Dennis James Muir 1942-2026 - OBITUARY
Heaven’s choir gained a new member on Friday, March 27, 2026 when beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Dennis James Muir of Washington, Missouri passed away unexpectedly at his home at the age of 83 years, 8 months, and 9 days.
Denny was born on July 18, 1942 to Alexander G. and Pauline B. (nee Manion) Muir in St. Louis, Missouri. For much of his childhood, this blonde-haired green-eyed boy lived with his family on his Grandpa John W. Muir’s farm near Robertsville, Missouri, where his antics sometimes caught him a thwack or jab from his grandpa’s cane, if he did not make it to his hiding place under the loose porch board fast enough. Some family and friends still use his nickname, Sam, that he gained during his childhood. He liked to claim that it was because he was strong like Samson in the Bible. He was a proud graduate of St. Clair High School, class of 1960. He married his second wife, Linda Ponte (Fisher) on February 23, 1984. He was a baptized believer, led his children in faith through Jesus Christ, and a current member of The Ridge Church (Villa Ridge, MO).
Denny loved his family and was proud of his children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. He especially liked to celebrate at large family gatherings. He was a patient father. He was always ready to lend a hand. He was a hard worker and found work rewarding. He was successful in his early adult life selling fire alarms. Denny started working on the line at Chrysler (Fenton, MO) wielding mufflers in the mid-1960s and later even fought a fire during his time in the paint department. He spent his whole career at that plant and retired in 2005. He also spent many years working a second job at Skate-A-Way (Union, MO) and later the sporting goods department at Walmart (Eureka, MO). He took college classes to learn and improve his computer skills and advance his career. For a while, Denny and Linda were part owners of an antique shop called Icehouse (Eureka, MO).
Anyone who knew Denny knew he had a love for music and singing. He was known to write a few songs, lead music at church, lead & tour locally with The Gospel Jubilees in the late 1970s & early 1980s, join local choirs, and uplift and support other musicians. He could come up with a song for any occasion and brought joy to others through his wide-range singing voice. He could also whistle any tune he knew. More recently, he was teaching himself to play the keyboard. Denny was also a natural when it came to storytelling. He had elaborate stories for all ages and could keep children and many adults on the edge of their seats. He was always eager to share his gifts and encourage others in their talents.
He did not know a stranger and made friends easily. He was known to be a bit of a trickster. No one was truly safe from his tricks. Denny had many interests and hobbies over the years from CB radios (Dennis the Menace) and radio-controlled planes to being a Boy Scout troop leader to studying the Civil War, visiting battle fields, and even participating in reenactments. He and his family rode bicycles in the Midnight Ramble in St. Louis more than once and enjoyed amusement parks together. He also enjoyed naming older cars by make, model, and year, and filling others in on the differences if they asked. Denny was good at working on cars too and took delight in having a motorcycle and an ATV for some extra fun. He was a voracious reader, especially westerns and history books and probably could name every John Wayne movie by heart. He was quite proud of his Scottish heritage. He was also a Trekkie, played the stock market, collected antiques, and was a very strong supporter of the 2nd amendment.
He had a love for nature and had many outdoor pursuits including hunting and fishing which Denny relished sharing with his brothers, cousins, grandsons, sons-in-law, nephews and many, many friends. He delighted in taking his young family, hiking at Rockwood Reservations, camping, and 4-wheeling in his Blazer on the weekends and there were always friends to enjoy these times with too. Later, it was pure happiness for him to take his grandkids to the movies and feed them and himself bottomless buckets of popcorn. He loved to travel all over the USA, including by car with friends. He and Linda discovered they especially liked going on bus and train tours as well as cruises, making more friends along the way. Denny appreciated living life with pets, including dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, and rabbits. He was also satisfied with simple quiet times, like feeding the squirrels on the back deck and sitting on the porch with Linda. He touched lives wherever he went and will be remembered and missed by many.
Denny was preceded in death by his parents and nephew, Cory Muir.
He is survived by his wife, Linda; his daughters, Annette (Steve) Huxel of Washington, MO, Kimberly (Chuck) Trollinger of Bonne Terre, MO, Melissa (Mark) White of Columbus, IN; stepchildren, Jeff Ponte (Jeanine) of Chesterfield, MO and Jennifer (Mike) Remspecher of Eureka, MO; grandchildren, Dwight (Samantha) Trollinger of Springfield, MO, Hope (Kyle) Frasier of Raytown, MO, Lanna Huxel of Washington, MO, Allie (Jason) Clarke of Clarksville, IN, Anissa Huxel of New Haven, MO, Timon (Lindsey) White of Franklin, IN, Trevor Trollinger of Springfield, MO, Levi Huxel of Washington, MO, Celia Remspecher of Los Angeles, CA, Owen Remspecher (Abby Mydlo) of High Ridge, MO, Eli Remspecher (Ella Sebert) of Eureka, MO; great-grandchildren, Jorah Trollinger and Benjamin Frasier; siblings, Jerry Muir of Katy, TX, Richard Muir (Terry) of Bourbon, MO, Patricia (Michael) Stumpe of Rosebud; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
The funeral service will be held at Noon, Monday, April 6, 2026, at The Ridge Church at 51 Hwy M, Villa Ridge, MO 63089. Pastor Roger Johnson will officiate. Family and friends may gather for visitation from 10:00AM until service time Monday at the church. Memorial gifts may be made in memory of Denny to The Ridge Church in Villa Ridge, MO or to your Charity of your choice.
