Dennis R. Barlow, Class of 1970
Dennis (Denny) Richmond Barlow, 80, of Newcomerstown, passed away at home on Tuesday, October 31, 2023. He was born in 1943 in Fitchburg, MA, to the late Clement and Harriet Barlow. When he was 12, his father moved the Family to Newcomerstown, OH, to manage the Hellers (Simons) manufacturing plant. After graduating from Newcomerstown High School in 1961, he attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts for two years before being drafted into the Army. After fulfilling his obligations to the United States of America, he decided he wanted to meet the love of his life. Just so happens that his future wife was a student at Muskingum University. After courting and falling head over heels for a young Deanna Durben, he decided he might as well get a dual degree in Business and Chemistry while there. Shortly after graduation, they snuck away to get married, thus making Ms. Durben, Mrs. Barlow. From that point forward, they proceeded to create a loving family. Said Family is currently crying, laughing, and reminiscing on how to describe our Family in an appropriate amount of words. Anyways, Denny and Deanna's Family consists of their lovely daughter Tammy and her husband Jeff (Zimmer), their late but impossible-to-forget son Christopher Barlow, basically son Anthony Roe and his wife Staci, kind of adopted son Seth James Barlow as a late addition, and two all-star grandchildren, Alexis and Logan Zimmer. Denny had a successful career as a plant production manager at Dover Chemical, but he thrived through his involvement in the community, endless passions, and hobbies. He was a proud and distinguished Free Mason, becoming a member of Lone Star Lodge #175 and Valley of Cambridge Scottish Rite, awarded the honorary 33 degree in 2017. He served on the school board of both Newcomerstown and Buckeye Career Center for many years. Denny was a self-proclaimed chef, cooking Masonic spaghetti dinner fundraisers, preparing breakfast for the fellowship of Isleta United Methodist Church, and roasting the most delicious Thanksgiving turkey. As a younger man, Denny played football, camped at Hickory Hollow, and enjoyed sailing and building sailboats. Later, his infatuation with the sea shifted from the water to the sky, and he became a Coshocton County Cloud Climbers model aviation club member. Over time, the New England man developed into a true country boy, enjoying hunting, fishing, raising a garden (most recently in a barrel), tapping trees and making authentic Ohio maple syrup, and helping the kids with their 4-H animals. When he wasn't pursuing one of his passions, he buggy'd around the property and neighborhood, solving the world's problems with the best friends and most wonderful neighbors he could have asked for or whoever might have cold beer on hand. He was a remarkable and beloved husband, father, and friend who will be deeply missed.