HILLEN DENNIS P. Age 78, of McMurray, PA passed peacefully at home with his family by his side on November 26, 2015. Born on October 10, 1937, he was the son of the late Dolores and Arthur Hillen. Loving husband of Anita Raspanti Hillen; cherished father of Diana (Mearl) Kamyk, Robert (Diana) Hillen, James (Susan) Hillen, and Dennis (Wendy) Hillen; beloved grandfather of Brandon, Ryan, Kevin, Natalea, and Nicole. Brother to the late Robert C. Hillen and Art (Scadge) Hillen; son-in-law of the late James (Jimmy) Raspanti, Nina Raspanti; and brother-in-law of Carl Raspanti. Denny was an airline pilot and flight instructor for Mohawk, Allegheny and US Airways for 34 years. Denny loved flying a variety of planes ranging from a DC-3 at the beginning of his career to a Boeing 737 and 757 at the conclusion of his career and countless other planes in between. He took pride in his job as a pilot and teaching airline pilots as they advanced in their careers. He did all of this with the loving support of his wife, Anita, and their four children, Diana, Bob, Jim, and Denny. He had an incredible and loving passion for flying airplanes for over 61 years of his life and even earlier than that as a young boy dreaming of flying as early as five years old. During his retirement years, you could catch Denny out at Finleyville airport with his single engine Aeronca L3 airplane and hanging out with his airport friends or his student pilots eager to learn how to fly. Denny truly enjoyed helping others learn the skill of flying with his patience, knowledge, and aviation expertise. In the calm and clear mornings, Denny would often fly over his house and his children's houses saying Hi to all below. His grandchildren would run outside and look up excited and say I see Papa flying over. Denny was always there for his children and grandchildren over the years. He was always eager to help out his children with anything they needed assistance with at a moment's notice. He was a very special grandfather (a.k.a. Papa) to his five grandchildren. Papa loved his grandchildren very much and they loved him. Through their growing years, he was often found watching them, making them laugh, and being with them while their parents were at work. The grandchildren will always remember their summer lunch outings to the Golden Coral or a run to Vocelli pizza. He developed a very close bond with his grandchildren and they will deeply miss him. Denny had many friends related to his flying who are scattered all around the country and they will miss his humor and insight to their shared passion. He will also be missed by his extended family members and all his friends in the Pittsburgh area and his second home in Arizona. Besides flying, he was a devout reader of books, reading thousands since he was a teenager. No matter what, Denny always had a book with him and in the last few years also a Kindle. He also enjoyed listening to the old radio shows from the 40s and 50s on his Kindle. He also enjoyed traveling with his family to various domestic and international locations. He most recently traveled to Europe with his wife and daughter, Diana's, family. We want to thank all the nurses, doctors, aides, and people who were so kind during his rehab and his battle against cancer. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society in Dennis' name. Envelopes will also be at the service for those who wish to donate to help find a cure for the sarcoma form of cancer that he battled against. A celebration of his life will take place on Friday, December 4, 2015, at noon at CREMATION AND FUNERAL CARE, 3287 Washington Rd., McMurray, PA 15317, (724) 260-5546. Please view and sign the family's online guestbook at: cremationfuneralcare.com Send condolences post-gazette.com/gb