Dennis Skovgaard was born February 14, 1948, he was the first of seven children born to Ove Ray and Theresa (Palensky) Skovgaard. His father had a Buick dealership in LaMoure, ND, and his first ten years were spent in a small town with extended family nearby. At the age of 32, his father began working as a pilot and the family moved to Cheyenne WY, Phoenix AZ, and Lewistown MT, before settling in Billings, where Dennis graduated from Billings Senior High. He attended Eastern Montana College, majoring in history, and graduated in 1970 with a B.S. degree. He took pride in having paid all his own college expenses. As an 8th grader in Lewistown, Dennis met Cheryl Jenni, whom he started dating during their junior year, after his family had moved to Billings. Dennis and Cheryl Jenni were married in 1969.Dennis was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to be an infantryman, and trained as an NCO. During the customary leave following orders for Vietnam, the reduction in forces there began and he received new orders for West Germany. At that time, Cheryl had been laid off from her teaching position and was able to join him in Germany for a few months before his discharge in 1972. After his military service, he was able to use his VA benefits to obtain flight training after his discharge, receiving private pilot, instrument, certified flight instructor, multi-engine, commercial, and air transport ratings. He began flying for Lynch Flying Service, instructing, flying Forest Service fire observers, pipeline patrols, charters and more. He grew to love flying over the Montana landscape. Later he flew for Big Sky Airlines, Western Pacific Airlines, and National Airlines, logging over 28,000 hours in aircraft ranging from the Cessna 140 to the Boeing 757. After the successive closings of Western Pacific and National Airlines, he worked in auto sales and customer service for Heuberger Motors in Colorado Springs. In 2014, Dennis and Cheryl both retired and moved back to Billings. He passed away on July 21, 2023 due to complications following surgery.