THEY say Sir Thomas Moore was a man of all seasons, and the same can be said of Dennis Hills.
Born in Brakpan on 17 September 1942, Dennis was one of five children.
Adversity stared them in the face when they lost their parents at a young age.
Dennis and his brothers then moved in with his uncle and aunt on a farm in Douglas, Northern Cape.
As a young man, Dennis moved to Potchefstroom in 1960.
Whilst working at an accounting firm, Dennis started thinking that he could make a living (and a decent one at that) from being an accountant.
Dennis put himself through university while doing his training contract in Potchefstroom.
He married Denise in 1967 and they were blessed with two daughters, Debby-Anne and Jody.
He worked for Venter and Sneddon in Potchefstroom and Mike Sneddon convinced him to move to Empangeni in 1974.
Dennis qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1979 and worked at Deloitte and BDO.
He lectured part time at the University of Zululand as Professor in Accounting.
After working many years with Deloitte, he took over the entrepreneurial services and started his own practice in December 1999.
Dennis married Hettie in 1996 and they worked together in the practice at Dennis Hills and Associates which merged with Hills Howard Zululand in March 2006 to form Hills Howard & Associates where he practiced until his retirement on 31 October 2013.
Dennis and Hettie relocated to Hillcrest in August 2014 to be closer to family but Dennis always maintained that Empangeni was home.
Dennis will always be remembered as a man who believed in fairness, integrity and honesty which is why he gained the respect of everyone who knew him.
Dennis cared about his staff, clients, the community and family which were of paramount importance to him.
He always lived life to the full and enjoyed travelling and spending time with his loved ones. Dennis is survived by Hettie, two daughters as well as two step daughters and eight grandchildren.
•His funeral will take place at 12 noon on Friday, 6 March at Kloof Harvest Church, 14 Lyngarth Road, Kloof.
