Grant Newton Dean passed away on July 25, 2017 in Portland, Oregon at the age of 89. He will be remembered with great affection by his family and friends. He is survived by his wife Lodine, of 63 years of marriage and their four children and 11 grandchildren.

Grant was born in Garfield (Salt Lake City), Utah to the parents of Eldon N. Dean and Reita (Richards) Dean. As a young boy, he moved numerous times across the country to follow his father’s employment. He received a Business degree from the University of Utah and upon graduation in 1949, he moved to Seattle for a job selling home appliances and the first black and white television sets. Upon receiving his army draft notice for the Korean War in 1951, he joined the Navy at Sandpoint, Washington with the hope of becoming a pilot. After receiving his wings and commission at Pensacola, Florida, Grant was assigned to Navy Fighter Squadron VF-52 at Miramar, California, flying F9F-2 Panther Jets. His squadron was soon sent to Korea on the USS Boxer CVA 21 for a six month tour. His second tour to Korea was on the USS Wasp CVA 18 for another six months. Among Grant’s memorabilia, his aviator’s flight log book from the VF 52 squadron reported one hundred and forty-nine carrier landings during his active duty. Grant enjoyed telling the story of how his squadron was privileged to fly the air shots for the 1954 movie, “Bridges at Toko-Ri”. By 1955 the Korean War had ended, and with his four-year commitment fulfilled, Grant was honorably discharged from the U.S Navy.

He married Lodine J. Oehlschlager in La Jolla, California on March 19, 1955. They moved to Portland, Oregon and went into business with his father, in the Dean Distributing Co. in 1955, where he worked for 29 years before selling the company and retiring in 1984.

What Grant enjoyed most was serving others in his neighborhood, community and around the world. Some of Grant’s proudest moments were: as a Shriner since 1975, serving on the Shriner’s Hospital for Children Board from 1984-1993, as a Rotarian for 41 years, serving on the Portland Rotary Charitable Trust Board, from 1981-1986, and again from 2005-2008. He also served on the Board at the Portland Golf Club. In his retirement Grant had a heart for the crippled children at Shriner’s Hospital, and also loved skiing at Mt. Hood Meadows with his family and friends, as well as being an active member at the Portland Golf Club since 1987.

Grant’s memory will be cherished by his four children, Gary K. (Betty) Dean of Madison, AL, Linda K. (Brad) Hanna of St. Helens, OR, Paul G. (Teresa Fobert) Dean of Beaverton, OR and Jill E. (Dale) Hewitt of Hood River, OR and 11 grandchildren.

He was happiest when he was skiing, dancing with Lodine, flying a plane, or golfing with his friends and family. We will all miss his humor and his desire to serve and entertain others.

A private family memorial will be held at the Willamette National Cemetery in the future.

In remembrance and in lieu of flowers, donations in Grant’s honor can be made to: Shriner’s Children Hospital of Portland, https://secure2.convio.net/shfc/site/Donation2?df_id=4689&4689.donation=form1 or to the Rotary Foundation, https://rotarypdx.org/donate.