Mr. Dennis Wall of Innisfail, Alberta passed away peacefully at home in his sleep on August 31, 2026 at the age of 78 years.

Born in Calgary, Alberta, in 1947, Dennis was adopted by Henry and Joan Wall of Coaldale. He grew up farming sugar beets and attending school in Readymade. When the family moved to Ponoka, Alberta in 1964, he drove the grain truck—with unreliable brakes— with his faithful dog, Rusty alongside. After graduating from Ponoka Composite, he worked in Kitimat, British Columbia, where he developed lifelong equipment-operating skills but never learned to fish (yes, there is a story there ).

After returning to Ponoka, he met the love of his life, Theresa (Terry) Holben, and they married in 1969. Their daughter, Tracy Lynn, was born in 1970 and was the light of his life from the start—a daddy’s girl to the end.

She recalls him driving home from Saskatchewan on a Wednesday night for a divisional volleyball game, only to leave again for Saskatchewan at 3 a.m.

Early in his career he was a farmer, a truck driver, a nurse’s aid and a mill operator before one eventful night, and a wrecked lariat, in 1976 led him and his business partner of almost thirty years to create Laden Feed Systems. He moved his family first to Calgary where they started out building bins and distributing mills and feed system parts. Expanding the business took them to Linden, Alberta in 1978 where they once again found they needed a bigger facility and moved down the hill to a larger shop and expanding it twice. Getting ready to rebuild after a fire in 1995, an inquiry about a plant they had seen led them two days later to owning a plant in Innisfail, significantly expanding their space once again. The catch… they had to lift a long section of tunnel from 8’ high to 24’ in height to accommodate the needs of a manufacturing operation. With the help of many incredible employees, they lifted the roof 4” at a time to the required height… in the middle of a cold snap of winter. Building the business to over 100 people and with projects all over North America.

In conjunction with his partners and their employees, Dennis helped expand Laden’s from feed systems and mills into pig barns, aboveground tanks, electrical controls systems and revolutionized the chemical storage game. Never stopping and always ready for a challenge, he helped design and manufacture projects ranging from sulphur conveyors to the Atlanta Olympic stand forms, from mobile concrete batching plants to pumping skids and pressure-vessel platforms, power-plant preheaters and pressure-test enclosures, to fertilizer plants—all while continuing to serve Western Canada’s agricultural and grain-handling industries. After celebrating twenty-five years in 2001, Laden’s again outgrew its facilities, adding a shop across the street around 2003 and a new shop and paint booth in 2004–2005 to accommodate increased crane height and larger equipment.

In 2006, they sold Laden’s, prompting Dennis—who, of course, couldn’t retire—to pivot to designing and erecting industrial buildings. Doing much of the groundwork himself and accumulating equipment along the way; there wasn’t a machine he couldn’t operate. After developing eight industrial properties in Innisfail, he began slowing down and spending more time golfing, though never retiring. He golfed in men’s league for years and on weekends with Tracy. Many golfers said Dennis was the only person who could have three balls in the air at once. Never able to standstill, if there was a pause in play, he was searching for golf balls, always coming out with his pockets full.

In his spare time (insert eyeroll), he gardened whenever he could use a tractor, skid steer, dozer, or other piece of large equipment. He created the garden terraces at the Linden house, often while doing double duty supervising the shop’s night shift. Before golf came baseball: he pitched for the Linden slow-pitch team for a decade, losing a finger in the process—but he caught the ball.

Travelling by car with Dennis was always an adventure. He stopped at every feed system to inspect a Laden project or check on the competition, and every gooseneck trailer became a side quest. Tourist attractions, however, earned the question, “What if there’s something better up the road?” Even on board a ship, he wore out a pair of shoes racing from port to starboard and stern to bow so he wouldn’t miss a thing. The only way to slow him down was to put him on an airplane.

COPD in 2019 and complications from pneumonia in 2020 forced him to slow down, but he continued to go to the office daily until shortly before his death. His watch may be done, but he will forever be remembered by those who loved and knew him.

Dennis is lovingly remembered by his family, Terry (wife), Tracy Wall (daughter) of Innisfail, Carla Jones (sister) of Lethbridge, Gayle Wensveen (sister) of Lethbridge and Chelsey Wensveen (niece) of Calgary.

In accordance with Dennis’ wishes there won’t be a memorial service. In lieu of flowers please make memorial donations to the Innisfail Healthcare Centre Fundraising Committee. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed at www.heartlandfuneralservices.com. Arrangements in care of: Heartland Funeral Services Ltd., 4415 – 49 Street, Innisfail, Alberta. Phone: 403.227.0006

• Date : 2026-09-15
• Location : Heartland Funeral Services (Innisfail) "Honouring Families Since 1999" www.heartlandfuneralservices.com 403.227.0006