Dennis Charles O’Brien

- – Dennis Charles O’Brien (“O’B”), airline pilot, sports fan, friend, father, brother and grandfather, passed away on May 18, 2018. He was 76 years old.

Born in Renton, Washington to Leo and Kay O’Brien, he attended St. Anthony School, St. Edward Seminary, O’Dea High School and the University of Washington, where he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

After college in 1966, he joined Northwest Airlines as a pilot. He was initially based in Minneapolis and later moved with his young family to Bellevue, where he lived for the balance of his life. His 36 year career with the airline included time as second officer, copilot, and captain, flying domestic and international routes from bases in Seattle, New York, Minneapolis, Detroit and Honolulu. During the later years of his career, he split time as a 747 captain based in Hawaii flying to Asia and the West Coast, and as a flight instructor for the airline, training new captains.

Mr. O’Brien was a deeply devoted friend, brother, father and grandfather. He enjoyed skiing, fishing, golf, and spending time in Washington, Colorado and Arizona with family and friends.

He is survived by his two sons, Mike and Jeff, his six grandchildren, Elliott, Wyatt, Lexi, Colin, John and Tory, and his three sisters, Diane, Doreen and Donna.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to be directed to Northwest Harvest (northwestharvest.org).

A celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, August 4th at 1:00p.m. at Ray’s Boathouse - 6049 Seaview Ave. NW Seattle, WA 98107.