Millard Hilton Dean, Sr.

DEAN, Millard Hilton Sr., was born in Powhatan, Virginia on October 19, 1922, to Ethyl Horton Dean and James Dean. He was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Constance Whitlow Dean; and his 11 brothers and sisters. He is survived by his daughter, Beverly; his son, Rusty; his daughter-in-law, Tee; his grandson, Tres; and his granddaughter, Maddy. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, Hilton joined the Army Air Corps. He was a Staff Sergeant in the 455th Bomb Group, 743rd Bomb Squadron and served in the European Theater of WWII. His job was an engineer and gunner in a B24 Liberator, and as the name implies, helped to liberate Europe. Hilton flew 51 missions in his plane, the “Menacing Messalina.” Half of his missions were flown in the nose of the plane, and the other half in the ball turret. The 455th Bomb Group bombed the Moosbierbaum Oil Refinery in Austria, and the Daimler Aircraft factory in Steyer, Austria. The group received the Distinguished Unit Citation for both these mission. As with so many members of The Greatest Generation, he served his country, never asked for thanks, bragged about his exploits, or complained about his hardships. He simply did his duty, came home to Virginia, got a job, married and raised his family. Hilton spent most of his career working for Otis Elevator Company. He either installed or worked on most of the older Otis elevators in and around the City of Richmond. He eventually was promoted to District Maintenance Supervisor. He was a strict and demanding task-master with the men who worked with him, but with his family, it was a different story. As he told his son, Rusty, the key to raising children is giving them everything they want! He definitely abided by this belief. Above and beyond the superficial, material things of life, Hilton and his beloved wife, Connie gave their children two precious gifts. There was never a day that went by that they did not feel complete love and security from both their parents, and they also instilled in them the belief (in their strictly middle-class upbringing) that they were the equals of kings and presidents. Hilton’s two grandchildren, Tres and Maddy, were also very special gifts to their grandfather. As with his children, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for either of them, and he loved them both unconditionally. Apart from his immediate family, his nephew, Kenny Whitlow and Kenny’s son, Cole were special to Dean. We thank them both for their love for our father. We would also like to thank our cousin, Midge Flannagan, for her love and care for our father. She has cared and watched over him for the last six years. We could not have done it without her. Special thanks to his nurse practitioner, Tammy Krukiel. She was a blessing to our family. Visitation will be at Nelsen Funeral Home, 4650 S. Laburnum Ave., Richmond, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 23, 2017, followed by a private burial. Online condolences may be left at www.Nelsencares.com.