Denny M. Slane, 85


Denny Meade Slane, 85, a resident of Sunnyside Retirement Community, Harrisonburg, Va., died March 11, 2010. He was born on June 8, 1924, in Hampshire County, W.Va., the son of the late Orr Denny and Emma G. Slane. He was also preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Mary Jo Pancake Slane.

He is survived by a sister, Lowell Slane Kline, of Cross Junction, Va.; son, Joseph A. Slane; daughter-in-law, Krista U. Slane, of Birmingham, Ala.; one grandson, Elliott A. Slane, of Athens, Ga., and many nieces and nephews.

Denny graduated from Capon Bridge High School, Capon Bridge, W.Va., in 1942. Colonel Slane served 37 years in law enforcement in Virginia including 35 with the Virginia State Police. He began his career as a patrolman in Winchester, Va., in 1947 and joined the State Police in 1949 as a trooper. He graduated in the State Police Class of 1949, where he served as president. During his career, he served in Greene and Rockingham counties, Salem-Roanoke, and Chesapeake. In 1977, he was appointed Superintendent of the State Police and served in this capacity until retiring in 1984. From 1985 to 1996, he was executive director of Operation Lifesaver, a railroad crossing safety program.

Denny designed the State Police flag and in 2000, the Virginia State Police Colonel Denny M. Slane Museum and History Center was named in his honor.

Colonel Slane served on the American Red Cross Board, was a member of the Kiwanis Club and Keezletown Ruritan Club, was both a deacon and elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA), and was also active in services and volunteer work at the Meredith Chapel in Sunnyside.

A memorial service is scheduled at the Massanutten Presbyterian Church, Penn Laird, Va., March 16, 2010, at 10 a.m.

Visitation will be at Shaffer Funeral Home in Romney, W.Va., on March 16 from 4 to 6 p.m. with a graveside service at Indian Mound Cemetery at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 17, 2010. A memorial service will also be held at Meredith Chapel at the Sunnyside Retirement Community, March 18, 2010, at 10 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Sunnyside Fellowship Fund, Sunnyside Presbyterian Development Office, 600 University Blvd., Suite L, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, or the Massanutten Presbyterian Church, 50 Indian Trail Road, Penn Laird, VA 22846.

Arrangements are under the direction of Shaffer Funeral Home, Romney, W.Va.