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Obituary for Gordon Wayne Dean
Gordon Wayne Dean was born on March 2, 1937 in Waldron, AR to Floyd Lynn Dean and Bertha Jane (Hawkins) Dean. His family moved to Dove Creek, CO in the spring of 1938 and remained in that rural community through his seventh year and the birth of his brother Theo Wade Dean on January 4, 1942 before moving to Pine Creek, CA (near Bishop, CA) where his father was employed for a short time in the mining industry. The family then moved to Richmond, CA where his father worked in the shipyards as a pipefitter. Gordon attended elementary school in Dove Creek, CO, Pine Creek, CA and Richmond, CA followed by Richmond Junior High School and then graduated with honors from Richmond Union High School. He was active in the Marine Corps Reserve while in high school and completed ROTC training and received both his BS and MS degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, CA. Following his BS degree in engineering he attended officer training at Fort Benning, GA and served as a commissioned officer in the US Army (Infantry) at Fort Ord, CA as a Company Training Officer and Battalion Training Officer. Following his tour of active duty he returned to UC to complete graduate school training and receive a MS degree in engineering. He spent the next 10 years in the Army National Reserve earning the rank of Captain before leaving the active military service. His first “professional” job was as a research engineer for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior San Francisco Petroleum Research Center and then over the next 30 years as a construction project engineer in the U. S. Dept. of Interior, the U. S. Dept. of Commerce, and finally the U. S. Dept. of Energy when he finally retired in September 1994. He was married in 1957 to Roberta Penelope Wihr (now deceased) and became the proud father of three great children (Andrea Ellen Frumusa, Robert A. Dean and Richard A. Dean). He remarried in 1984 and inherited four more great children (Randal O. Stulken, Ryan J. Stulken, Ross A. Stulken, and Tanya R. (Stulken) Duarte). He is survived by his “bride” Laurel, five children, twelve grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, He was preceded in death by his parents, two of his sons Robert and Ross, and his brother Theo. He was always an active member of the many churches with which he was affiliated over the years and together with his bride Laurel served in the Cursillo organization, were presenting couples for the Marriage Encounter Community and over a six year period served as volunteer evangelists for the Christian Motorcyclists Association logging over 75,000 miles on their motorcycles in adventures that covered coast to coast and border to border. Gordon was always welcoming with a big hug and a kind smile. He didn't talk a lot, but when he did everyone would listen attentively. He was more adventurous than he ever let on. Gordon loved his family, his relationship with the Lord, and his garage. It might take him a bit longer to pack for a road trip, but that carload was a meticulous jenga puzzle along with his double taped Christmas presents. Gordon was a very generous man with a warm heart who loved making hamburgers and Swedish pancakes on the weekends. He quietly made a difference to all who had the pleasure of having him in their lives. Donations may be made in Gordon's honor to a charity of your choice.
