Dennis Wingfield was the driving force behind the creation of the Calling Couples to Christ website and the primary author of the blog posts. Today marks the first anniversary of Dennis passing into eternal life. To honor and remember him I (Rose) share the following obituary/tribute. Please know that his whole family appreciates your thoughts and prayers.
On July 20, 2021, Dennis Wingfield, loving husband, father, and grandfather passed away at the age of 69. His funeral Mass was celebrated on July 24 at Holy Family Church in Novi, MI. He is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Southfield, MI.
Dennis was preceded in death by his wife, Therese (Wilson) Wingfield and his parents. He is survived by his wife, Rose (Harrold) Wingfield, brother Dave (Diane) Wingfield, sister, Linda Koss, sister-in-law Barb Wingfield, three children: Emily Waugh (Robert) Plane, Mary Krizewicz and Joe Krizewicz, eight grandchildren: Alex, Aidan, and Ella Waugh, Emma and Evan Plane, Michael Van Dis, LilliAnna and Lucas Krizewicz, and several nieces and nephews.
Dennis was born on June 14, 1952, in St. Clair Shores, MI to Ralph and Marilyn (Ruthenberg) Wingfield. He grew up loving cars and set out to be an automotive engineer. In 1975, he graduated from Kettering (General Motors Institute) with a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and spent the next 32 years designing cars from bumper to bumper. In 1980 he was awarded a Master of Engineering Management from the University of Detroit. After having worked for each of the “Big Three,” he retired from Ford Motor Company in 2007.
He was the quintessential car enthusiast being able to identify the year, make, model and production details for virtually every car that drove down the street. He even kept an “Auto Biography” to record all the vehicles he owned. Dennis also had a passion for performance and believed in “living life a ¼ mile at a time.” His pride and joy was a 1993 Ford Mustang that he modified to run a ¼ mile in 12 seconds. The magazine Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords featured his innovative work in 1996.
Far exceeding Dennis’ love for cars was his love for the Lord and his family. He was deeply committed to the teachings of the Catholic Church and sharing his faith with others. He passionately loved Therese, Rose and his children and grandchildren. He especially loved babies and always wanted to sniff their tiny toes. Every day he prayed for an end to abortion. He served on the Board of Mother and Unborn Baby Care and helped establish the Gabriel Project at a. local parish.
He believed strongly in God’s plan for marriage. For 20 years, he ministered to separated and divorced spouses seeking marriage restoration through Rejoice Marriage Ministries. During this time, he wrote a book entitled Standing for God’s Best. Together with Rose, he spent 10 years helping couples prepare for, enrich, and restore their marriages. To equip himself for this ministry, he earned a Master of Pastoral Studies from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in 2016.
Dennis modeled exceptionally well, what it meant to be a husband, father, grandfather, and friend, but most importantly a servant of God. He will be profoundly missed by many.
To learn more or reminisce about Dennis, click on the following links:
Testimony of a Restored Marriage – podcast of Dennis sharing his story
Hope For The Hopeless – devotional written for Rejoice Marriage Ministries
Standing for God’s Best – book written by Dennis (Kindle available at Amazon)
Funeral Mass – video on Holy Family YouTube channel (homily at 32:08)
Calling Couples to Christ 