Dennis Bruce Francis

Dennis Bruce Francis died Tuesday, October 29 in his west Knox County home after a brief, fierce battle with cancer. His wife Theresa Habiger, daughter McKennah and grandsons Bentley and Grayson were with him at his passing. Dennis was a lifelong Catholic and a gifted trial lawyer who softened the edges of his razor wit with a touch of blarney and an abundance of Irish charm. A yellow dog Democrat, he was a past chair of the Knox County Election Commission and a passionate defender of voting rights who also served on the state Democratic Executive Committee. He was a ride-or-die Buffalo Bills fan and a gregarious soul who celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by handing out green carnations to friends and strangers alike. The youngest of six children born to Irene and Malcolm Francis of Buffalo New York, Dennis arrived on April 15 1946 weighing in at 10 pounds and sporting a head full of dark curly hair. His sister Mary describes him as an extraordinarily beautiful child. He came to Knoxville in 1970 after being accepted to attend the University of Tennessee College of Law. He was a graduate of Indiana State University, where he claimed to have majored in Driver’s Education, which may or may not have been precisely accurate but made for a heck of a story. He slept in his car for until he made enough money tending bar on the Strip to rent a room in Ft. Sanders. Later, he would supplement his income by buying and selling antique furniture and stained-glass windows. He got his law degree in 1974 and accepted a job as general counsel at Eastern State Psychiatric Hospital (later Lakeshore Mental Health Institute), where he settled in and began to establish himself professionally. He settled into Knoxville, too, and became a respected member of the local bar. He never met a stranger and had friends in places high and low. In addition to Theresa, McKennah, Bentley and Grayson, Dennis is survived by his daughter Savannah, sister Mary, brother Patrick, several nieces and nephews and too many friends to count. He was preceded in death by his parents Irene and Malcolm, sister JoAnne, brothers Edward and Malcolm and niece Shannon. And he arrived in heaven half an hour before the devil knew he was dead.

Tributes

Dennis Bruce Francis

October 29, 2024