Arizona philanthopist T. Dennis Barney dies

A developer who quietly orchestrated reformation of a drug-infested neighborhood into a gateway for the LDS Mesa Arizona Temple died Monday at his Gilbert home.

The death of T. Dennis Barney stunned and saddened friends, many of them community leaders in Mesa and Gilbert where his work for charitable causes and the Mormon Church were felt. He was 62.

\"He was not only a tremendous force in the community, he was one of the mainstays of the (Mormon) church,\" said longtime friend, Roc Arnett, president of East Valley Partnership. \"He was stake president, which means he was a spiritual adviser for students of the Tempe-Arizona University Stake. He will be a big loss to the community, his church and his friends.\"