Dennis R. Fakes was born on March 15, 1948, in Hutchinson, KS. He was raised in the western Kansas town of Jetmore before heading off for school to become a pastor in the Lutheran Church. After one year at St. John’s Academy he attended St. John’s College, graduating in 1968. From here he traveled to Ft. Wayne, IN to attend Concordia Senior College, graduating in 1970 with a BA in Speech. From 1970-1974, he attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO.
While at seminary, the denomination broke out into division because of differences in teaching substance. After Dennis had completed his studies (but before he graduated), a large contingent of students and professors walked off and formed Concordia Seminary in Exile. Dennis graduated in 1974.
His first call as pastor was to a 29-member church in Kingman, KS. While in Kingman, his daughter, Cara, was born. He served three years before moving to Washington, DC to be a hospital chaplain intern. After a year, Dennis and his family moved to Ohio to serve a struggling congregation. The congregation grew rapidly. So did Dennis’ family. Nate was born in Ohio.
After serving for over 12 years, the family moved to Lindsborg, KS. Here, serving Messiah Lutheran Church, Dennis found enormous joy in the ministry. Again, the church grew and the little town of Lindsborg, with Bethany College next door and its artistic bent, gave Dennis a special calling he had never anticipated.
At the age of 50, Dennis was called to St. Paul Lutheran Church of Lodi, CA. Dennis had always wanted to live in California. This large church put Dennis as Senior Pastor with two associates.
His final call was to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Huntsville, AL. Here, again, Dennis found a great deal of joy. He retired in 2014 and made the decision to stay in Huntsville for retirement.
Dennis loved to write and wrote several published works as well as many unpublished. At an early age, Dennis displayed artistic talent- which he used throughout his life except the years as pastor.
Survivors include his wife, Hilda Fakes; children, Nathaniel “Nate” Fakes (Kelsey) and Cara Fakes Dever (Dave); stepchildren, Dawn, Dean, and Heidi; sister, Connie Yeager; and numerous grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. A memorial service will follow at 3:00 p.m. with Rev. Will Starkweather officiating.
