Dennis Carl Helsel Feb. 21, 1945 – June 3, 2021

Dennis Carl Helsel, 76, of Roaring Spring, passed away Thursday morning, June 3, 2021, at the Altoona Center for Nursing Care after an extended illness. He was born in Altoona, PA the son of the late Clifford E. Helsel and Phyllis Irene (Kennedy) Helsel. On March 1, 1969 he married the love of his life Lidih Jo (Lee) Helsel. He is survived by his wife, Lidih; a son Thomas Clifford Helsel and his wife Lisa Ann (Schipsi) Helsel; granddaughter Alexis Nicole Helsel; and a daughter Lidih Anne Helsel. He was preceded in death by his granddaughter Amanda Lee Helsel. Dennis graduated from Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School, attended John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio and graduated from Saint Vincent’s College in Latrobe, PA. After graduation Dennis taught biology, chemistry and earth science at Saint Mary’s School, St. Therese of the Child Jesus Parish School and Keith Junior High School. He additionally worked as a ski instructor at Blue Knob Resort. As a teenager, Dennis worked at the former Minuet Manor Hotel in Bellwood, PA. There he forged a love for food service which later manifested in his creating Walnut Springs Catering operating from a small farmhouse in Williamsburg, PA in 1979. He and his family later relocated to what would become The Calvin House in Duncansville, PA in 1981. Along with his passion to entertain customers with the finest food, atmosphere and service, he privately enjoyed sailing on Lake Wallenpaupack, PA, a skill he refined by attending master instruction courses in Annapolis, MD. He had a lifelong love of cars, especially his most prized late model Rolls Royce Corniche he restored to original condition. He was a long-time member of The Rolls Royce Owner’s Club, Inc. and a certified Rolls Royce competition judge. He was an avid Pirates and Steelers fan, often working during games for more than 40 years, but rarely missed a game during his retirement. He was also an avid gardener, collector of antiques and loved regularly travelling to the NJ shore with his granddaughters, Atlantic City and to New York, NY. The decision to close The Calvin House in 2018 impacted him profoundly with regards to separating from the staff, customers and community. He struggled with illness and intensely missed the interactions and activity he treasured for more than 40 years. While many employees and customers became life-long friends, his not being able to serve them at the level he once did saddened him to the core of his personality. The magic of The Calvin House, envisioned and brought to life by Denny, created one of a kind experiences for tens of thousands of people he didn’t directly think of as customers, but simply as a family of employees, friends and the community he had known all of his life. A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 at St. Therese of The Child Jesus Catholic Church, Altoona, Father D. Timothy Grimme, officiating. Arrangements are by Plank, Stitt & Stevens Funeral Home, 421 Montgomery St., Hollidaysburg. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the name of Amanda Lee Helsel, PO Box 781352, Philadelphia, PA 19178 or Mending Hearts Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 97, Hollidaysburg, PA 16648. Condolences may be made at www.stevensfamilyfuneralhomes.com or Stevens Family Funeral Homes Facebook.