Ralph Lee Dean

CENTERVILLE, Ind. - Ralph Lee Dean, age 85, of Centerville, died Monday, September 28, 2009, at Pinehurst CLC & Rehabilitation Center. He was born May 26, 1924, in Greens Fork, Ind., to Virgil W. and Hazel Linderman Dean. He attended Abington School through the sixth grade and graduated from Centerville High School in 1941. He attended Hanover College on an athletic scholarship in the fall of 1941, but the Pearl Harbor attack and America's entry into WW II changed his future plans. Ralph enlisted in the United States Army in early 1942 and was selected for the Army's Specialized Training Corps Program to develop commissioned officers trained as engineers. He attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg Virginia, Westminster College and finally Haverford College in Philadelphia. Ralph graduated from Officer Candidate School at Carlisle Barracks, Penn., in 1944 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Army Medical Service Corps and was eventually discharged from the Army in 1946. He graduated from Earlham College in 1947 and later received a Master's Degree from Ball State University. Ralph married Deborah Hatfield on December 5, 1943, and following his discharge he served as a teacher and coach at Boston High School for nine years. Ralph then joined Thoro-Systems Inc., retiring in 1990 as the company's Vice President. He was elected to two terms as Center Township Trustee and also served as the President of the Centerville School Board and oversaw the construction of the new Centerville High School. He and Deborah also owned and operated the W.T. Mathews Insurance Company for 15 years. Ralph was an avid golfer and fisherman, enjoying summers at Torch Lake in Michigan. Survivors include his wife of over 65 years, Deborah Hatfield Dean; daughter, Diana Wellings of Kissimmee, Fla.; son, Mike Dean (Linda) of Ellicott City, Md., and son, Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Andrew Dean (Missy) of El Paso, Texas; grandchildren including Christopher and Craig Wellings of Key West Fla., Misti Dean O'Connell of Andover, Mass., Captain Casey Dean of Fort Knox, Ky., Captain Courtney Dean of Fort Bliss, Texas, currently serving in Iraq, Abigail Dean of Bloomington, Ind., and two step grandchildren, Lindsay and James Whiddon of El Paso, Texas; six great-grandchildren, Peter, Jack, Thomas and Henry O'Connell of Andover, Mass., Cassadee Wellings of Key West, Fla., and Liesl Dean of Fort Knox, Ky., as well as nieces and cousins and many lifelong friends. Funeral service for Ralph Lee Dean will be at Mills Funeral Home, 405 East Main St., Centerville. Burial will be in Crown Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Glaucoma Association, American Lung Association or www.woundedwarriors.org. Condolences may be sent to the family via the guest book at www.doanmillsfuneralhome.com.

Ralph Lee Dean

May 26, 1924 - September 28, 2009