Dennis Wade McMahan

Dennis (Denny) Wade McMahan, 80, of Knoxville, departed this earth on July 11, 2025. He was preceded in death by his father, Truman McMahan and mother Cleadus Kessler McMahan of Greensburg, KY and his brother Billy McMahan of Fishers, IN. He is survived by his wife, Brenda Ford McMahan, his sister Rita McMahan Milby (Randal Joe), and sister-in-law Carolyn McMahan. Along with his wife Brenda, he raised daughters Angela Mitlehner (Mike) of Portland, OR, Amy Stambaugh (Doug) of Knoxville, Andi Damewood (Jef) of Knoxville, and Anna McMahan (Keirsten) of Natick, MA and was a loving grandfather to his grandchildren: Tucker, Kayla Beth, Baylee, Noah, Jennifer, Riley, Lucas, and Andrew. 

Born in Green County, KY, Denny grew up on a farm and kept his love of growing plants throughout his life. Denny was a long-time member of Salem Baptist Church, teaching Sunday School and serving in various roles to help the church serve the community. This included serving as a deacon and being on the building committee for Salem’s new church building. He loved teaching young people and spent his career as a teacher and administrator in Knox County Schools. He was actively involved in Trout Unlimited and thoroughly enjoyed fishing and teaching others to fish. An avid birder, Denny was a member of the Tennessee Ornithological Society and enjoyed traveling to bird-watch both near and far.

Receiving of friends for Denny will be held on Monday, July 14, 2025, from 5-7pm at Salem Baptist Church, with a funeral service staring at 7. A graveside ceremony will be held at Lynnhurst Cemetery on Tuesday, July 15 at 11am.

The family would like to thank Hope Springs Adult Daycare, and Dr. G and the 5th floor nurses at Tennova North for the care they provided Denny and his family.

In lieu of flowers, you can support one of Denny’s favorite service organizations, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Clinch River Chapter of Trout Unlimited, or Knoxville Chapter of TN Ornithological Society (KTOS).