Dennis Patrick Morell

Lt. Col. Dennis Patrick Morell, better known as "Denny," entered the eternal Kingdom of God on May 22, 2025, following a short illness. Denny was a native son of Cheyenne, Wyoming, born to William Clement Morell and Marie Lapinski Morell and into a big, Irish-Lithuanian, Catholic family. Denny was the youngest of eight children. Denny graduated from Laramie High School in 1960 and attended the University of Wyoming. He played in the university marching band and concert band, graduating in 1964 with a degree in sociology.

Later that year, Denny followed his older brother, Jim's, footsteps and enlisted in the United States Air Force. While serving in the Air Force, Denny became a flight training instructor and flight examiner, and flew the T-38 Talon, F-100 Super Sabre, F-101 Voodoo, F-102 Delta Wing, and F-111 Aardvark supersonic fighter jets. After leaving the Air Force, Denny joined United Airlines and traveled the world. He flew with United for 33 years, where he captained the B-737-300, B-727, B-757, B-707, B-777, B-747, and B-747-400 passenger jets. After retiring from United in 2002, Denny worked as a Flight Simulator Instructor for Boeing Training & Flight Services (f/k/a Alteon), CAE Airline Pilot Training, Aerolineas Argentinas, United Services, and Evergreen International Airlines, teaching the next generation of pilots the skills to be their best while in the sky.

When not flying commercially, Denny served 17 years in the New York Air National Guard and Air Force Reserves, where he flew fighter jets and Sikorsky "Jolly Green Giant" HH-3E search and rescue helicopters. In 1979, Denny was awarded the Igor Sikorsky Helicopter Award for piloting a helicopter that rescued nine crewmen from a sinking ship, 300 miles off the coast of Long Island, amidst dangerously high wave and arduous weather conditions. Denny served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Command & Control Directorate Operations Center, Twenty-Third Air Force, at Scott AFB, helping to lead and direct numerous reconnaissance, combat rescue, special operations, and aeromedical evacuation missions worldwide. After 22 years of service in the Armed Forces, Denny retired honorably as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal; the Air Medal; the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award; the Air Force Legacy Service ribbon and the Small Arms Expert Marksman ribbon.

Denny married JoAnne Williams on September 22, 1983. They made homes in Catskill, New York, restoring an 1805 federalist farmhouse; Nederland, Colorado, raising dogs and cutting horses; and Denver, Colorado. Following JoAnne's death in 2012, Denny moved to Southern California's Coachella Valley and made Indio, California his home base. When not in Indio, Denny toured America in his 45-foot American Eagle Motorcoach, visiting friends and family. In Denny's latter years, he relocated to North Texas to be closer to family and lived in Granbury and Dallas.

Denny lived a life full of excitement and adventure. He was a cowboy, a fighter pilot, a commercial airline pilot, a helicopter pilot, a patriot, a sailor, a musician, a breeder of cutting horses well before the television show Yellowstone made it cool, a volunteer first responder, an outdoorsman, a lover of the Denver Broncos, classic county music, and a good Martini. Denny loved animals and lovingly raised many cats and dogs-he even once raised a purebred wolf that was wink, wink "a husky-wolf mix." Above all, Denny was a kind and good man, devoted to God, family, friends, and his country. Relationships were important to Denny, and Denny made the effort to keep in regular contact with loved ones.

Survivors include his brother Jim (JoAnne) Morell of Hot Springs Village, AR, nieces and nephews Pat (Debbie) Morell, Mike (Liza) Morell, Joe (Linda) Morell, Diana (Chad) Barbour, George (Jackie) Andrews, Jim (Pam) Davis, Dan Davis, Pam (David) Anderson, Ron Gould, Bill Baxter, Jim Morell, John (Kathy) Morell, Jackie (Rudy) Montejano, Joe (Ursula) Morell, many great-nieces and nephews, and many, many great-great nieces and nephews. He will also be missed by life-long friends and partners in many a shenanigan, George Suter, Rick Haney, Don Page, John Casper, and longtime friend, Jennifer Cox.

Denny's legacy will live on through his passion for aviation, his adventurous spirit, and his dedication to teaching and inspiring others. Both in his family and professional lives, Denny profoundly and positively affected those who were fortunate enough to be touched by his grace, patience, humility, and kind, loving ways. Denny's family would like to extend special thanks to Christ the King Catholic Church, the staff and caregivers at the Plaza at Edgemere, and Medical City Dallas hospital, and who lovingly cared for Denny in the last year of his life and in his final days.

A funeral Mass will be held at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Hot Springs, Arkansas later in June. Denny will be laid to rest at the Cheyenne National Cemetery in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

There's a saying among old pilots that when they die, they "Fly West." The morning after Denny passed, a bald eagle circled over a family member's house for about an hour. After circling round, diving, and then soaring high, the eagle Flew West.

Everyone who remembers Denny is asked to celebrate Denny's life in their own way. Picking up the phone and calling a loved one out of the blue 'just because" or listening to a little Johnny Cash and raising a glass towards the West in his honor, would be most appropriate. Instead of flowers, Denny would hope that you'd do an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness in his name for someone in need of friendship or simply a little extra love and understanding.