Patrick "Pat" Edward Hines

Pat was born on March 27, 1942, in Alliance, Ohio, to Edward and Rita Hines. As the first of six children, Pat grew up alongside his three brothers—Terrance, Tom, and Dan—and two sisters, Coleen and Laurie. Growing up in Alliance, the Hines siblings spent their days fishing, hunting frogs, racing their sisters in baby carriages, visiting relatives, and creating mischief, as only four boys could.

Pat graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1960.

In July 1961, Pat enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served on active duty until July 1969. During his service, he was stationed at Brize Norton AFB in Oxford, England, where he met his wife, Maureen King, while she was "Yankee bashing." They were married in November 1964 in Carterton, Oxford, England. Shortly after, their daughter Sharon was born. Just six weeks later, they moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, where Pat was soon deployed to Vietnam. Fortunately, he returned in time for the birth of his son, Shaun.

Following Vietnam, Pat’s next duty station was Omaha, Nebraska followed by Honolulu, HI, where the family spent two years before moving to Dayton, OH, and later to Mt. Lebanon, PA. It was during this time that Pat transitioned from active duty to reserve duty.

Pat’s love for the military led him to join the Air Force Reserves, where he was stationed at the 911 TAG in Pittsburgh, PA, specializing in highly classified Intelligence operations. His service during the Gulf War and Desert Storm was vital, and he was also called up to assist during the 1994 crash of US AIR flight 428 near Pittsburgh. Pat retired from the Air Force in 1994 after 33 years of service, earning the highest enlisted rank as an NCO, Command Chief Master Sergeant (E9), and receiving numerous ribbons and medals for his exceptional service.

Pat worked for Schneider Corporation in Pittsburgh, PA, for over 25 years, rising to the position of Data Processing Manager. Throughout his career, Pat also earned his Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Point Park College and a Master’s in Tax Accounting from Robert Morris College.

Pat was the consummate volunteer all his life. He was a volunteer fireman with the Mt. Lebanon Fire Department, baseball and softball coaches for his kids’ teams, a teacher for Vacation Bible School, USO at Sky Harbor, volunteer at the Pikes Peak Library District and a lector at his church in Scottsdale.

In 1994, after years of dreaming about Scottsdale, AZ, Pat and Maureen moved there making Scottsdale their home for over 25 years, until May 2020 when they moved to Colorado Springs to be closer to their children and grandchildren. They loved to travel, visiting England and Ireland frequently to see Maureen’s family, enjoying cruises to the Caribbean, Panama Canal and Europe, and then having their family join them on additional cruises and a special trip to Hawaii.

In 2022, Pat had the honor of participating on the Honor Flight traveling to Washington, DC, to visit the all the memorials which were built and dedicated to veterans. This experience was one of the highlights of his life, and he returned home to a hero’s welcome—a homecoming he had long deserved after his service in Vietnam.

Pat is survived by his beloved wife of 60 years, Maureen; his daughter Sharon Nolan (Pat) of Colorado Springs; his son Shaun Hines (Maria Luisa) of Colorado Springs; and his four grandchildren, USAF Major Stephanie Hines (Alex Kang) of Oklahoma, Shannon Hines (Cole West) of Kaiserslautern, Germany, Brendan Nolan (Kira) of Colorado Springs, and Aimee Nolan of Greeley. Pat is also survived by his siblings: Terrance (Patricia) of Glendale, CA, Tom (Sue) of Alliance, OH, Dan (Toni) of Massillon, OH, Coleen (Dave) of Arden, NC, and Laurie (Ted) of Columbia, MO. He is survived by many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews on the Hines and King side of the family. He was eagerly anticipating the arrival of his first great-grandchild in December, when Shannon and Cole are expecting their baby.

Pat was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Rita Hines, and his nephews, Ethan and Darrin Hines.

Services will be held on Thursday July 10 at Swan Law Funeral Home. A viewing will precede the memorial service, followed by a reception and a full military burial service at Pikes Peak National Cemetery.

The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to Optimal Hospice and Melody Living Assisted Living for their compassionate care and support during this challenging time.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Honor Flight of Southern Colorado which will give other veterans the ability to have some closure for their service.