Milton Youngsett Dendy, 102, of Athens, passed away on Tuesday, November 14, 2017. He was born on May 17, 1915, to Thomas Youngsett and Ariebelle Carnes Dendy, in Marshall County, Alabama. Milton grew up on the family farm with brothers Floyd and Troy and attended schools close to home.
Milton met Dorothy Nelson at a cousin’s house in 1938. They began a courtship that lasted two years. Milton moved to Washington, D.C., in 1940 to work for the USDA Farm Credit Administration. During Christmas vacation he returned to Alabama, where he and Dorothy were married before heading back to Washington.
Their married life was interrupted very shortly when on March 20, 1941, Milton was inducted into the U.S. Army and Dorothy returned to live with her parents in Alabama. Milton was assigned to the 74th Coast Artillery Regiment for one year of training. Pearl Harbor was attached on December 7, and his military service was extended indefinitely.
Milton’s active duty took him far from home, serving in Algeria, Tunisia, Sardinia, Corsica, and France, for the duration of World War II. He was discharged on October 20, 1945, with exactly 55 months of service. He returned to Alabama to begin life with Dorothy, who he had not seen since he left in 1941.

Milton and Dorothy moved to Columbia, Missouri, in 1947, when he enrolled at the University of Missouri. He received his B.S. in Agriculture (Poultry Science) in 1949, and entered graduate school the same year. He received his master’s in Agriculture in 1950 and began a series of jobs in Alabama, Nashville, and Carbondale, Illinois, before accepting a position with the Cooperative Extension Service Poultry Science Department at the University of Georgia in 1957. The Dendys, which by then included sons Bob, Ken, and John, moved to Athens in 1959, when Milton was assigned to the UGA campus with statewide duties.

Milton retired in 1977, and began a lengthy consultancy with the World Bank, appraising poultry and agriculture in countries around the world. His travels included: Romania, Nigeria, Spain, Jamaica, Kenya, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Algeria, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Lithuania, and last of all, Egypt.

Over the course of Milton’s retirement, he maintained positions with professional organizations, he was involved with 4 churches, 2 senior citizens groups, a long-time group of golfing friends, and most importantly his marriage to Dorothy that lasted for 70 years, before her death in 2011.

Many have asked or at least wondered about Milton and his secrets for living such a long and healthy life. He attributed some of it to letting the little things go. His family thinks it may have something to do with his evening ritual of cookies, candy, and ice cream. Milton was the kindest, most humble, and gentlest of souls, who will be forever missed by his family.

Milton is survived by his three sons and their wives, Bob and Vickie, John and Sheree, and Ken Dendy; and two granddaughters, MaryBeth and Valerie Dendy.

Funeral services will be held in the Chapel of Lord & Stephens East on Saturday, November 18, at 11:00 a.m., with the Rev. Ernie Bryson officiating. Visitation will be held prior to the service, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Memorials can be made to Moriah Primitive Baptist Church, Moriah Church Road, Colbert, GA 30628

Milton will be buried in the family plot at New Hope Primitive Baptist Church in Boaz, Alabama.

Lord & Stephens, East is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com

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