A Life Well Lived

Dennis McCoy Elliott

Engineer, entrepreneur, musician, farmer, husband, father, grandfather, and lifelong learner

Dennis McCoy Elliott

Dennis Elliott approached life with curiosity, energy, and a simple philosophy: Carpe Diem—seize the day. Whether he was building transportation systems, restoring a piano, tending to the family farm, or making memories on the lake, Dennis brought a rare combination of focus, humility, and joy to everything he did.

From the Kansas farm to Stanford

Born in Topeka, Kansas, on July 6, 1940, Dennis was raised by Dorsey and Eunice Elliott on the family farm in Sublette. That early life gave him a lasting connection to the land and helped shape the practical, hands-on nature that would stay with him throughout his life.

After high school, Dennis boarded a train for Stanford University—a campus he had never seen in person. At Stanford, he challenged himself in every direction: he played football, excelled academically, and discovered new instruments as a member of the marching band. He graduated in 1962 and went on to earn a master’s degree in Engineering Administration.

Service, engineering, and a lasting professional legacy

Dennis entered the United States Navy in 1963. As a commissioned officer in the Navy Civil Engineering Corps, he served as Assistant Resident Officer and supervised construction projects at Miramar Naval Air Station near San Diego.

His drive to keep learning soon took him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned a master’s degree in Transportation Systems. After moving to Arlington, Texas, Dennis managed the first automated people mover at the newly opened Dallas–Fort Worth Regional Airport. He later founded the consulting company that became Lea+Elliott, Inc.

Over more than 35 years, Dennis helped grow Lea+Elliott into an internationally recognized firm specializing in automated transit systems. His work helped shape the airport experience for millions of travelers, with projects reaching from Denver to Dubai. Colleagues knew him not only for his technical ability and entrepreneurial spirit, but also for the humble confidence and steady work ethic he brought to every challenge.

Family, friendship, and life in motion

In 1988, Dennis married Julie, the love of his life and the person he described as his emotional rudder, traveling companion, inspiration, and best friend. Together, “Juju and Grandpa” built a life full of family, adventure, shared interests, and devotion to their three grandchildren.

The Sublette farm remained close to Dennis’s heart. When his father retired in 1990, Dennis became its manager and made monthly trips to Kansas to oversee operations that ranged from grain elevators to cattle feedlots.

Retirement only gave Dennis more time for the active hobbies he loved. He worked on cars, boats, antique furniture, and musical instruments. He built a harpsichord from thousands of pieces, restored a 1937 Mason & Hamlin grand piano, taught his granddaughter to drive a stick shift in a vintage Porsche, organized Christmas performances by the family band, and kept everyone laughing during high-speed tubing trips at Possum Kingdom Lake. As he once put it, he was “not much on passive hobbies.”

A spirit that endured

Even while living with Parkinson’s disease, Dennis remained determined to participate fully in life. When running and walking became difficult, his curiosity, humor, and desire to stay engaged continued. His example was not about standing still in the face of hardship; it was about finding the next way forward.

Dennis’s story is one of service and ingenuity, but also of deep affection—for Julie, for his children Craig and Kristin, his stepson Austin, his grandchildren Carly, Coby, and Duke, his extended family, his friends, his colleagues, music, machines, and the land that raised him. He lived with his hands and mind fully occupied and his heart fully invested in the people around him.

His life remains an invitation to stay curious, serve generously, repair what is broken, cherish the people beside us, and seize the day.