Dale E. Dean

Remembering... Dale Erastus Dean passed away Tuesday, November 12, 2014 at the Rooks County Health Center in Plainville, Kansas at the age of 96. He was born on August 15, 1918 in Mitchell County, Kansas just north of Glen Elder, to Howard and Flossie (Taylor) Dean. Dale graduated from Glen Elder High School with the Class of 1936. He went on to attend Kansas Wesleyan University and graduate from Illinois College of Optometry. He served in the United States Army during WWII from 1942 to 1945 in the European African Middle Eastern Theatre. On March 24, 1946 he was united in marriage to Neva Bernice Barnett. To this union were born three children. In 1949, en route to a job interview in Scott City, while eating lunch and visiting with locals in Stockton, it wasn’t long before Dale was convinced to stay and begin his practice. He served the people of Stockton and surrounding communities as their optometrist from 1949 until his retirement in 1983. Dale was a kind and loving doctor, friend, and neighbor. He was a member of the Congregational Church, the V.F.W., Glen Elder Lodge #294 A.F.&A.M., and the Isis Shrine Temple. A very social man, he enjoyed playing golf with friends and sharing laughter and stories over a good martini. But the people he loved spending time with the most was family, especially his children and grandchildren. Dale is survived by his son Greg Dean and wife Carol of Stillwater; daughters Pam Hageman and husband Ed of Stockton, and Ginger Kollman and husband Chris of Stockton; grandchildren Erin Dean, Ashley Chilton, Michael Dean, Charlie Hageman, Amber Kollman, and Grant Kollman; and great-grandchildren Madelyn Dean Bell, Elizabeth Dean Bell, Kennedy Chesney, William Chilton, and Dean Chilton. He was preceded in death by his parents Howard and Flossie Dean, wife Neva Dean, sister Marjorie Laughrey, and brothers Donald Dean and Herschel “Bill” Dean. Dale was a man of noble virtues who truly loved his neighbor as himself. The world is a better place because he travelled here. He leaves behind a legacy of faith, character, and integrity. His labor here is finished, but the work he did and the lives he touched will live on for generations to come in the hearts of all who knew him. Visitation #2: 723 N. First Stockton, KS 67740 Plumer-Overlease Funeral Home-Stockton Reception: VFW Post #8873