There was only one Dennis Praniewicz.

Whether it was riding a jon boat or motorcycle, making tomato moonshine, or shenanigans from sleepwalking, Praniewicz lived a life as funny and wild as it was caring and passionate, his family said.

“The stories we could tell,” said Trudy Praniewicz, Dennis’ wife of 53 years. “He’d get people to do things they’d otherwise never do.

“He did crazy things. He loved life. Every day was crazy.”

Dennis Praniewicz, 74, died June 28 after a utility tractor accident on Fawn Hill Lane in Upper Burrell.

“It was crazy living with him, but that’s why we loved life,” said Trudy, 73, of Upper Burrell. “It was an adventure; life was an adventure. There was never a dull moment.

“It was a crazy life, but we had a lot of fun.”

Trudy said she met Praniewicz when she was 16, walking home from Braeburn Beach in Lower Burrell. She was tired and was hitchhiking when he gave her a ride home.

“He made me laugh all the time,” Trudy said. “He was the funniest guy.”

Praniewicz graduated from Valley High School in 1971 and married Trudy on Dec. 18 of that year. He then joined the military and was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, and later in Athens, Greece, where his son Brendan was born.

While serving in Greece, he earned an award for a helicopter rescue of Greek sailors who were lost at sea.

After Greece, Praniewicz and his family returned to the United States and he was stationed in Newport News, Va. Trudy gave birth to a daughter, Tiffany, while the family lived there.

Praniewicz served a year in the Army in South Korea, along the demilitarized zone, before returning to Virginia. He later was stationed back in Fort Hood where his daughter, Jessica, was born; and did his final military service in Mannheim, Germany, when the Berlin Wall came down.

Praniewicz retired from the military after 21 years in 1992. He then moved his family back to the Alle-Kiski Valley.

“He was a very good dad,” Trudy said. “He was a really good person.”

Praniewicz worked for the Army Corps of Engineers for 20 years. He was a lock and dam operator at Emsworth and Lock 3 on the Allegheny River in Plum. There, he earned an award for saving someone’s life when they got pinned between a barge and the wall, Trudy said.

“He was a really hard worker, and I think I inherited that,” said his daughter, Jessica Condon of McMurray. “He also taught me not to stress the small things.”

She learned the latter lesson at a young age. She recalled getting ready for daycare and trying to get knots out of her hair but one knot wouldn’t untangle.

“He noticed I had a hairbrush stuck in my hair. He just let me go to school like that,” Condon said laughing.

Daughter Tiffany Hutchison of New Kensington agreed with her sister’s assessment of their father’s strong work ethic.

“He taught us how to make the most of life,” she said.

Brendan Praniewicz of San Diego said his father taught him comedy. His dad had a perfect timing for jokes, he said.

Brendan recalled a time he and his father went to see the first “Home Alone” movie in a dollar theater. The movie broke down and stopped in the middle of it, and everyone in the theater was confused or stressed about what was happening.

“Dad said, ‘I want my dollar back,’” Brendan said. “The whole theater erupted laughing. That’s what my dad could do — he always knew what to say.”

And he was as caring and generous as he was funny. He donated to many organizations, including Frankie’s Friends, Knead Community Cafe, Light of Life Mission and the Salvation Army.

Trudy recalled a time in Virginia when her coworkers were struggling and Praniewicz would buy food for them. He also would care about his children’s friendships with their peers.

“He was so loving and so kind and so generous with people,” she said. “He would worry about people.”

Granddaughter Isabella Hutchison said Praniewicz was always smiling. He loved to celebrate, spend time and travel with family.

She remembered Praniewicz always supporting his friends and family. He attended every soccer game when she played for Valley High School.

“He was always there to support us,” she said. “He’d always show up and you knew he cared.”

Praniewicz is survived by his widow, Trudy; son, Brendan; daughters, Tiffany Hutchison and her husband, Joshua, and Jessica Condon and her husband, Maxwell; grandchildren, Isabella and Ari Hutchison, and Palmer and Oscar Condon; and a brother, Richard Praniewicz and his wife, Sandi, of Sykesville, Md.

Viewing is scheduled for 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 1.

A funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 2, at Ross G. Walker Funeral Home in New Kensington.

“We’ve had so much love and support. We want to say thank you to everyone,” Brendan said. “Thank you for loving my dad.”

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)