Frank Delbert HILLS, 90, Of Messiah Lifeways in Mechanicsburg, PA

Frank Delbert HILLS
It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of our father, Frank Delbert Hills. Frank passed away peacefully on Monday, February 3, 2025, at Messiah Lifeways in Mechanicsburg, PA. On March 31, 1934, Frank was born on March 31, 1934 in Port Allegany, PA, the eldest son of Everett G. and Doris A. Johnson Hills.
He was a 1956 graduate of Pennsylvania State University and upon graduation, Frank was commissioned into the US Air Force as a second lieutenant, assigned to San Antonio, TX for flight school. It was there, on a blind date, that he met LaVonne Oetjen and they married on November 22, 1956.
For twenty-one years Frank proudly served in the USAF as a helicopter pilot. His assignments stretched from Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada to Vandenburg AFB in California, to Bolling AFB in Washington, DC, to Vietnam. While Frank was assigned to Vietnam, he flew 200 combat missions including a successful helicopter rescue behind enemy lines whilst under fire. For this he received the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross. His last assignment was USAF liaison officer to the PA Civil Air Patrol. Frank retired from the Air Force in May 1977 with the Command Pilot rating and nearly 7000 hours of flying time.


































