Age 79 of Inver Grove Heights,
Passed away suddenly on April 26, 2021. Survived by loving wife, Beverly; children, Tanya (Dennis) Mooney, Tara, Thad (Andrea); grandchildren, Tanner, Kaidence, Riley, Ava & Jacob; mother, Eleanor Harms; siblings, Juanita (Dennis) Ingvaldson, Darla (Ken) Hjelmen, Dan (Barbara) Harms; nieces, nephews, relatives & friends. Preceded in death by father, Doede Harms. Dean was born in Blooming Prairie, MN on Dec. 16th, 1941 to Doede and Eleanor Harms. Dean was the first of four children, Juanita, Darla, and Daniel. He grew up in Blooming Prairie and graduated in May of 1959. He played football for the Awesome Blossoms from 9th grade thru his senior year; dressing for varsity in his Sophomore, Junior and Senior years. He was very proud to see them on TV in November of 2019, winning their first state championship title. He said, “The Awesome Blossoms finally bloomed!” After high school he traveled and worked for a bit before joining the National Guard in February of 1964. While in the Guards, he enrolled at Dunwoody Institute. He graduated in the spring of 1966 with a degree as a Mechanical Engineer. After graduation he was hired by Sperry Rand Defense Systems as a Mechanical Engineer/Draftsman.
Dean and Beverly started dating the spring of 1966, shortly after his graduation. They were married in August of 1967 and moved to Eagan, MN. Their first daughter, Tanya was born in November of 1968. They moved to an apartment complex in Newport, MN in 1970. Their second daughter, Tara was born in October of 1972. At the time, they were caretakers at one of the apartment buildings in the complex. They had many good times and met a few lifelong friends while living in Newport. In the spring of 1973, they purchased their first home in South Saint Paul, MN. Their son, Thad was born in August of 1974. They lived there until late summer of 1978 when they moved to their current residence in Inver Grove Heights. Through all of that, he continued his work with Sperry Rand. (which became Sperry Univac in 1978, Unisys in 1986 and finally Lockheed Martin in 1996). He also enjoyed bowling, softball and the camaraderie that followed. These activities fostered lifelong friendships that have endured throughout many years.
Dean retired from Lockheed Martin in early 2004. He spent his retirement mostly at their cabin in Finlayson, MN. He loved his view of the lake from the kitchen table. The hummingbirds frequently enjoyed his feeders, as did orioles, finches, and an occasional bear. Every now and then an eagle would show up on the dock to eat a fresh caught fish dinner…videos or pictures were soon to follow. He met monthly with classmates and former coworkers for lunch and to catch up. He loved airplanes and enjoyed going to the Oshkosh airshow with his good friend, Bob. There were many hunting and fishing trips made thru out the years- Canada, northern Minnesota, and a few trips to Wisconsin were some of his favorites. He enjoyed being outdoors and loved what mother nature had to offer. He saw the beauty in things that most of us would not even waste a glance on.
Through it all Dean loved his family more than anything, Bev and his children were his heart and soul and when grandchildren were added to the mix, life took on a whole new meaning. He enjoyed watching his grandchildren at their sporting events, dance recitals or just hanging with them at the lake. Dean’s kids and grandkids knew that if there was anything that needed fixin’ Grandpa Dean was the man to go to and nothing made him prouder than helping his family. He was a father figure to many and a good friend to all.
The hole that has been left by his passing is going to be very hard to fix, but our many memories of him will help us heal with time.
A Celebration of Dean’s Life will be held on Friday, May 14th, 2021 from 4:00-8:00pm at Drkula’s 32 Bowl, 6710 Cahill Avenue, Inver Grove Heights.
There will also be a Celebration of Life for family and friends of Finlayson, MN from 3:30-7:30 Saturday May 22, 2021 at the Finlayson Community Center.