Dr. Dennis Joseph Wydra, Ed.D., 81, of Elysburg, Pennsylvania, departed this world to be with his Lord on October 18, 2024, surrounded by family, after fighting cancer for several months. Dennis was born on August 18, 1943 to Joseph A. and Marion A. (Shukitt) Wydra in Shamokin State Hospital. He grew up with his sisters, Karen and Kathy, in Atlas where they had fun through the years with backyard birthday parties, sleigh riding, building Christmas train platforms, and annual New Year's Eve parties. Dennis worked with his dad in their family's Keystone Venetian Blind business and had fun selling Christmas trees in Atlas. Above all, Dennis loved fishing. While in high school, he even drove to Canada to fish. Dennis played football, ran track, played trumpet in the marching band, and participated in many clubs including the Math Club and Future Teachers of America.

After graduating from Mt. Carmel High School in 1961, Dennis went on to study math education at Bloomsburg State College, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1965. He began teaching junior high math in the Bradford Area School District. Dennis completed his master's degree in 1969 and then moved to Mansfield, Pennsylvania to begin teaching instructional technologies at Mansfield State College. Dennis received his Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D.) from Temple University in 1975. As technology evolved, Dennis took a particular interest in using computers and telecommunications to teach advanced subjects in small, rural schools that lacked teachers for subjects such as calculus. Through Dennis's research projects across the country in the late 1980s and 1990s, he became a pioneering father of teleteaching, now called distance learning. Dennis retired from Mansfield University as a Professor in 1999.

While attending Bloomsburg State College, Dennis met his first wife, Bernice (Jenkins Wydra) Derr, and they had two daughters, Wendy and Candace. In Mansfield, Dennis loved to fish Mill Creek with his daughters. He would volunteer to help the Pennsylvania Fish Commission stock the streams, which would help him find the best fishing hole for the girls. The night before the first day of trout season, he would stay up changing the lines on the fishing rods and pack a cooler full of snacks and Twinkies. Before dawn, Dennis and the girls would walk through a cow pasture to the creek bank. He would then spend the entire morning getting the girls' fishing lines untangled from the trees and roots along the bank and rebaiting their hooks with sweet corn so they could cast again. Though Dennis hardly ever cast a line himself when the girls were young, it was the day he looked forward to all year long.

In 1985, Dennis married Cynthia (Clark Goff) Wydra. After retiring in 1999, Dennis and Cindy moved to Elysburg, Pennsylvania and enjoyed many happy years helping others, pursuing their interests, and spending time with their family. Dennis enjoyed hunting and fishing with his brother-in-law Bob, nephew Jon, and good friends. He also loved planning Chesapeake Bay fishing trips for his family. Dennis was very dedicated to his faith which he enjoyed sharing with his family and five grandchildren. He and Cindy attended Christ Wesleyan Church where they served on the Coffee Ministry and visited with many dear friends. Dennis and Cindy looked forward to watching their grandchildren at their homes in Maryland and having them visit in Elysburg. It was important to them that the visits were always special and made lasting memories. Pop Pop loved to take Olivia, Micaela, Sophie, Bradley, and Edy on adventurous fun-filled trips to Knoebels, pumpkin patches, fishing ponds, and he had Easter egg hunts, fireworks, and summer vacation weeks with lots of fun in their pool. Over the years, the extended family gathered for holidays at his sister Kathy's and nephew Jon's homes and at his niece Amy's farm where the grandchildren enjoyed time with their cousins Madison and Jon Jr. Every holiday was a special time with visits from Santa, Easter egg hunts, and pony rides over the years. As the grandkids grew older, Dennis was dedicated to helping each one find their path and accomplish every step of their higher education journeys. He was immensely proud of his grandchildren and all of their accomplishments. He had a passion for helping others pursue their career and higher education goals and would do whatever he could to help the young people he knew. Dennis was also a member of the Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania, where he made a number of good friends over the years and had a particular interest in supporting their efforts through research. He also volunteered his time for several elected officials and supported various interests in the community.

Dennis was predeceased by his parents, sister Karen Dallabrida, brother-in-law Robert E. Else, III, and stepson Frederick Goff. Dennis is survived by his loving wife Cynthia Wydra, his sister Kathleen Else of Elysburg, his brother-in-law Don Dallabrida of Wilburton, his daughters and sons-in-law Wendy and Mark Wolcott of Eldersburg, MD, and Candace and Chet Thompson of Potomac, MD, his grandchildren Olivia (Wolcott) Behr and her husband Tyler, Micaela Wolcott, and Sophia, Bradley, and Edy Thompson, along with his niece Amy Else, nephew Jonathan Else and his wife Diane, and great-niece Madison Slater, great-nephew Jonathan Robert Else, Jr., and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Christ Wesleyan Church, 363 Stamm Road, Milton, PA on Friday, November 29th with a visitation beginning at 10:30 AM and the service at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF) by mail to 31 St. James Avenue, Suite 365, Boston, MA 02116, or online at www.netrf.org/give