Dennis Tully

April 23, 1960 — February 28, 2019

CHARLTON -- Dennis Tully, the owner of MTD Micro Molding and the loving patriarch of the Tully family, died unexpectedly on Thursday, February 28. He leaves his wife and soulmate of 34 years, Darlene (Crowley) Tully; his son Eric and his wife Jamie Tully; his two daughters, Megan and Emily Tully, and Emily’s fiance, Eric Ray; his parents, Richard and Margaret (Graham) Tully; two brothers, James and Steven Tully; two sisters, Karen Tully and Donna Bibber; two grandsons, Craig and Gavin; brother-in-law and best friend Danny and his wife Annette Crowley; sister-in-law Debbi and her husband David Mann; many nephews and nieces; and his beloved dog, Riley. He also leaves his forever friends, Ray and Linda Tetreault; Brian and Jayne Garney; Steven and Kathy Oslowski; and many more. He had a special way of turning friends into family, and his sense of humor lit up any room he entered. Dennis was born in 1960 in Southbridge, graduated from Shepherd Hill Regional High School, and earned his Bachelor’s Degree at UMass Lowell in 1982. Around that time, Dennis worked up the courage to invite his best friend’s younger sister, a pretty Charlton girl named Darlene, to dinner. That night at the Hilltop Steakhouse in Saugus launched a 37-year love story. Dennis and Darlene wed in 1984 in Charlton, and renewed their vows 30 years later in front of their family and friends at their vacation home in Vermont, affectionately dubbed Tully Acres. They were life partners, best friends and the loves of each other’s lives. Dennis and Darlene had one son and two daughters, Eric, Meg and Emily, completing a family that was always at the center of his life. He was a loving, caring, inspiring father who could be relied upon anytime, whether for help on a project or a laugh and a hug when they were needed. While Dennis was a family man first, he was also a shrewd businessman and brilliant engineer. For decades, he helped lead Miniature Tool & Die, the micro-molding business his father, Richard, began in 1972 in his Charlton basement. In 2008, Dennis purchased the business from his father, rebranded it MTD Micro Molding, and repositioned it for the medical-device market, steering it to enormous success. MTD became known around the world for its mastery of highly precise, specialized miniature parts that no other company could produce, including the world’s smallest molded plastic part. Under Dennis, MTD became one of the nation’s fastest growing companies and won numerous awards, including being named one of the plastics industry’s best places to work. Despite the company’s accolades, Dennis was always most proud of his staff, whom he cared for deeply. Dennis was the most selfless and generous man we knew, always investing time, effort and money into causes he and his loved ones cared about, from cystic fibrosis to the RFK Children's Action Corps to Brake the Silence, the organization he helped lead to end the stigma of mental illness and prevent suicides. Dennis was also a member of several golf leagues, the Society of Plastic Engineers and Sigma Phi Omicron. He enjoyed traveling the world with Darlene, smoking meats, brewing beer, winning at bags and washer hole, snowmobiling, riding his Harley, and watching his New England sports teams win championship after championship. Dennis had a knack for making others feel welcome, happy and loved. He could make you laugh -- whether via his goofy poems or world-class collection of costumes and wigs -- and he could make you cry, in a good way. That’s why his friends and family always looked to Dennis for giving toasts and officiating weddings. We also looked to him for some of the best times of our lives. Dennis and Darlene designed their homes in Charlton and Vermont for hosting family and friends, and they loved nothing more than being surrounded by loved ones. We will always cherish our weekend-long gatherings at Tully Acres, where Dennis was at the center of every gift exchange, golf outing, bags tournament, panini contest, Steven Day, St. Patrick’s Day parade, and long night piling pallets onto the fire. Most of all, Dennis loved his family, friends and life. Now we will all carry that love on in our own lives. We will forever cherish our memories of you, Dennis, and you will live on in our hearts. We love you. His funeral will be held at 10AM Thursday, March 7, in the Charlton City United Methodist Church, 74 Stafford St. Charlton. Calling hours are 5 to 8PM Wednesday, March 6, in the Belanger-Bullard Funeral Home, 51 Marcy ST. Southbridge. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Brake the Silence, Inc., PO Box 835, Charlton, MA 01507. An online guestbook and a video tribute are available at www.BelangerFuneralHome.com <iframe id="tukios_player_512x330" allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameborder="0" height="330" scrolling="no" src="https://www.tributeslides.com/videos/embedded_video/MKCDQY8CCK33QR2B" width="512"></iframe> Jump to Toolbar

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Service Schedule

Past Services

Visitation

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

5:00 - 8:00 pm (Eastern time)

Belanger-Bullard Funeral Home

51 Marcy St, Southbridge, MA 01550

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Funeral Service

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Starts at 10:00 am (Eastern time)

Charlton City Methodist Church

74 Stafford St, Charlton, MA 01507