Dennis Arthur Praniewicz

Dennis Arthur Praniewicz, AKA “Big D" or “The King,” died unexpectedly at the age of 74 on June 28, 2025 in Upper Burrell Township.
He was born on October 6th, 1950, in New Kensington, to the late Arthur Praniewicz and Viola Schrecongost.   
Dennis graduated from Valley High School in 1971, and soon after, he met the love of his life, Trudy Praniewicz.  They were married on December 18th, 1971.  They recently celebrated 53 years of marriage. Soon after he joined the military, he was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas.  After this, he served in Athens Greece, where his son, Brendan Praniewicz, was born.  In Athens, he received an award for a helicopter rescue of Greek sailors who were lost at sea.
He was later stationed in Newport News, Virginia.  Here he had his daughter Tiffany.  While his family remained in Virginia, Dennis served a year in the Army in South Korea along the DMZ before returning back to Virginia.
After serving in Viriginia, he was later stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, where he had his daughter, Jessica.  He received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management through the University of Maryland.
He served in Texas for three years and then did his final military service in Mannheim, Germany.  He was stationed in Mannheim during a monumental time, when the Berlin Wall came down.
He retired from the military after serving 21 years and was honorably discharged in 1992.  Dennis moved back to Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania.  He wanted to be with family, but more importantly, he wanted to make a home for his children before they got older, so they could experience what home was.
While he lived in Lower Burrell, he got a position in the Army Corps of Engineers.  He was a lock and dam operator at Emsworth and Lock Three.  He received an award for saving someone’s life.  Someone was pinned between the barge and the wall, and Dennis rescued them.  He worked in the corps for 20 years before retiring.
According to him, Dennis was the best hunter in Upper Burrell.  He was so dedicated to hunting that he nearly succumbed to hypothermia on several occasions from freezing in the woods for long hours—he had epic hunting stories.  After retiring, Dennis developed the ability to sleep up to 18 hours a day.  From his degree in Business Management, Dennis was very skilled in driving the ATV around the yard to supervise his wife to make sure she was gardening correctly, and in addition, he enjoyed telling people how to drive.  Friday nights were major events for Dennis as he loved to watch wrestling.  He had a flare for binging television shows such as 90 Day Fiancé, Shameless, and Love after Lockup.   He loved celebrating birthdays, and he made everyone sing the birthday song twice, at least, before blowing out candles.  He was an avid fan of ghost tours, and he would frequently stroll beside the ghost tour guide and ask many questions.  He was also a talented cook and paid scrupulous detail to the finer ingredients.  He loved food, and a banana split never did him wrong.
Dennis was a unique gentleman with a profound sense of humor.  He loved life and lived life to the fullest.  But most importantly, he loved his family.  He had empathy for others.  His greatest joy was seeing others happy.  He contributed and donated thousands of dollars to the community.  He loved God, and he loved his country.  Dennis was a loving father, who would do anything for his wife, children, and grandchildren.  He loved traveling with his family.  He was a hero to everyone who loved him. 
He is survived by his wife Trudy Praniewicz, his son Brendan Praniewicz of San Diego, CA, his daughters Tiffany (Joshua) Hutchison of New Kensington and Jessica (Maxwell) Condon of McMurray, his brother Richard (Sandi) Praniewicz of Sykesville, MD, his grandchildren, Isabella and Ari Hutchison and Palmer and Oscar Condon, and many nieces and nephews. 
A viewing will be held on Tuesday July 1st from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and 6:00 to 8:00 PM in ROSS G. WALKER FUNERAL HOME LTD., 217 Freeport Road, New Kensington, where a service will be held Wednesday at 10AM.  
 

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