By Bradley Grose, founder of SCV Grocery and Bill Reynolds, KHTS Director of Veterans Affairs

Dennis James Kniffen was born in Detroit, Michigan March 6, 1957, to Mr. Dennis Byron and Mrs. Patricia Anne Kniffen as their second child with Brother Shawn and Sister Denene. Dennis grew up in a Catholic home made by his mother Patricia where his love for God began, and he closely followed Christ’s teachings while growing up.

As a teenager, he attended Detroit’s Frank Cody High School, where he discovered his love for drafting design, art and aerospace. However, he left high school early, opting for his GED instead.

In 1974, Dennis enlisted with the United States Army and served with the 1st Infantry Division’s 1st Engineering Battalion at Fort Riley, Kansas until receiving his Honorable Discharge in 1977.

Pride and Joy

Dennis left Michigan in 1983 following his mother’s passing, moving around various U.S. states until ending up in California. Sadly, his father passed away in 1985.

In 1988, Dennis married the love of his life, Hannah Grant. In 1995, his pride and joy daughter Hannah Patrice Kniffen was born. Hannah was named after both of her grandmothers, and her middle name was chosen in honor of Dennis’s mother, Patricia.

Due to job requirements, Dennis periodically moved to other states, but his heart always stayed with California. Despite his daily struggles and challenges in life, Dennis made the best out of every difficult situation while greeting each day with his big affable smile.

Santa Clarita Grocery

Dennis was a man of honor, courage and faith. He was a father to one daughter, a friend, a brother, and a U.S. Army Veteran. But alas, he became homeless living in Santa Clarita for the last nine years of his life.

Dennis possessed excellent survival skills that were necessary for living a rough life. His father had taught him boxing, which gave him a great left hook where nobody ever saw it coming. Thus he never lost a fight, though he once had his teeth knocked out.

In March 2019, Santa Clarita Grocery developed a path of restoration for Dennis from “homelessness to home run.” SCV Grocery reached out to Dennis after fostering a multi-year long friendship, serving him and his camp homeless buddies’ groceries twice weekly.

They asked him one question: “Are you ready to move forward?”

They presented an idea that included having his teeth mended. Dr. Sarah Phillips, owner of Family Tree Dentistry, was enthusiastic to contribute costly MRI scans and providing Dennis’s teeth in restoring his wonderful smile. A friend of SCV Grocery back East, Dr. Joseph M. Arzadon, President of Medical Missions of Mercy (MMOMUSA.org), also committed to donating his staff for dental surgery under including providing a sponsor for teeth implants free of charge.

They also sponsored him for an engineering job (his skilled trade), and the next step would be into a home of which they had several options.

New Mountain Bicycle

Dennis rode his bicycle twelve miles round-trip to and from SCV groceries faithfully twice a week, delivering over fifty pounds of groceries for him and his homeless friends.

He not only gathered and provided food for his homeless friends, but he also helped them with shelter, protection from rattlesnakes and conducting bed checks to ensure everyone was safe each night, all the while entertaining them with his jovial caring nature.

In September 2019, Santa Clarita Groceries’ next-door neighbor, Kevin, President of KPS Airmotive, gave Dennis a brand new mountain bicycle to make his twelve-mile round-trip easier from his camp to SCV Grocery.

Additionally, Dennis began attending weekly Monday night support group meetings with the Guardian Group (Military / Fire / Police), who had just started volunteering and providing security at Santa Clarita Grocery.

Dennis delivered a clear message to his new group: “No matter where you are in life, you can still help others in need, and that you don’t have to give a lot to make an impact in someone’s life, you just have to care and be consistent.”

Serving our Homeless

Ironically, prior to Dennis becoming homeless, he had been a big supporter of serving Santa Clarita Valley’s homeless. This honorable man lived a life of service from the U.S. Army, to his family, his friends, his camp, and most of all to his Creator.

In the early hours of Friday, October 18, 2019 Dennis rode his bike to his favorite 7/11 store at Sand Canyon and Soledad to charge his phone and purchase a few items. The female clerk who knew him and appreciated his kind and jovial demeanor always said he was a good man.

She stated, “When I saw his total charge of $6.66 I thought it was bad karma so I urged him to make one more purchase which then became $7.77.”

That change brought a big smile on Dennis’s face and they both burst into laughter. Tragically, it was at that very moment that Dennis James Kniffen’s heart abruptly gave out, and he passed away true to form with twinkling in his eyes and a big smile on his kind face.

Military Funeral

Eternal Valley Cemetery was huge support ensuring that Dennis would have a proper military burial that occurred November 9, 2019, in their Veteran’s section. Santa Clarita Grocery’s volunteers and the Guardians’ members collected resources for funeral details and funding to cover burial costs.

The Condor Squadron performed their traditional missing man grave fly-by in a World War II AT-6 trainer plane. Big kudos goes to Bradley Grose, founder of Santa Clarita Grocery, for conducting Dennis’s fitting funeral service.

Dennis used to say that Kniffen family men did not live long lives and they possessed bad luck, but he had the best bad luck of anyone we know. Dennis had a full life filled with blessings and such good luck to possess so many wonderful friends whom he cared for and who cared about him.

Dennis joins his mother, father and his younger brother Shawn in Heaven.

Dennis James Kniffen
March 5, 1957 – October 18, 2019

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