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W.J. Jones & Son Limited

106 Athabasca Street East

Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Gordon DEAN Obituary

Published by Regina Leader-Post on Mar. 22, 2018.

DEAN, Gordon Gordon Dean, the epitome of independence, fortitude, and resourcefulness, died of pneumonia at the age of 90 in Moose Jaw on March 13, 2018. Gordon lived almost his whole life on the Rouleau farm where he was born and which he operated his entire adult life, baking pies from scratch, dismantling and rebuilding tractor engines, clambering around to reroof the machine shed, wallpapering the kitchen, paying his bills - even though he was blind. Gordon Allan Dean was born on November 7, 1927, the son of the late Earl and Elizabeth Dean. He was the baby of his large and loving family, raised during the deep poverty of the Great Depression. Gordon attended Utopia School through Grade 8, his desk pushed right up to the blackboard so that he might be able to see. In his early teens he was sent to a school for the blind in Brantford, Ontario, but - miserably homesick and not wanting to bother with Braille - he ran away from school and was eventually sent back to the farm. And that's where he stayed, living with his parents and brother Don, and for many years wintering in Moose Jaw. Ultimately, after years of caring for his mother, Gordon lived alone with his dog Snooper (all his dogs were named Snooper). Happiest on the big, flat prairie, resilient in his solitude, Gordon gathered eggs, tended the chickens, geese, and steers, and mowed the lawn, getting his bearings in the farmyard from a radio blaring from the garage. To locate a dropped machine part, he fished around with a magnet on the end of a wire. To drive the grain truck to the combine in the field, he worked the gears and the pedals while his sister Evelyn (who did not have a driver's license!) steered. His tape measure had notches for one foot, 16 inches, and so on. Gordon was always an interesting and interested host, brewing high-octane tea and offering a cookie to any neighbour or relative who dropped by. All of us, including his 13 nieces and nephews, enjoyed satisfying conversations with this well-informed, well-connected, open-minded man who absorbed a whole universe of news and opinions from the radio and from his visitors. Gentle and clever, occasionally stubborn and cantankerous, Gordon was treasured by family and friends. Gordon was predeceased by his siblings Margaret Bayhi, infant Douglas Dean, Ruth Moore, Dorothy Bean, Kay Webster, Helen Kemmerer, Evelyn Daurie, and Don Dean. We would like to express heartfelt gratitude to the kind staff at the Central Butte Regency Manor who cared for "our Gordon" for nearly seven years, marveled at his amazing life stories, and let him walk backwards down the hall after he heard that this was a healthy habit. Family will hold a private ceremony of remembrance after the snow melts. In Gordon's honour, please consider a donation to the Canadian National Institute of the Blind (2160 Broad Street Regina, SK S4P 1Y5), or to a charity of your choice. In living memory of Gordon a memorial tree planting will be made by JONES Funeral Home. Please sign the memorial register at website: www.wjjonesandson.com (Obituaries). Stephanie Lowe - Funeral Director

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

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6 Entries

March 23, 2018

Karen Booth

I did not know Gordon or any of the Dean family, but I truly wish that I had after reading the beautifully written obituary in the Leader-Post. I took the liberty of posting it on my Facebook page, which garnered comments from as far away as Australia! I am humbled and awed by your loved one's incredible legacy. Please accept my sincerest condolences.

March 22, 2018

Tom Hartney

A well written tribute to our lifelong neighbour. Growing up, I always appreciated the fact Gordon never treated you like a kid, even when you were one. In our little community south of Drinkwater(a.k.a.- The Flats), we marvelled at his ingenuity. A 'slow day' was spent by some of us trying to figure out, "How did he do that?" R.I.P. my friend.

March 22, 2018

Belva Perkin

Deepest sympathy to the Gordon Dean families. An amazing man.

March 22, 2018

What a wonderful man! This world has lost someone special.

March 22, 2018

Thank you for sharing your uncle's story. Inspiring and humbling.

March 22, 2018

What a beautiful obit.

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To offer your sympathy during this difficult time, you can now have memorial trees planted in a National Forest in memory of your loved one.

Funeral services provided by:

W.J. Jones & Son Limited

106 Athabasca Street East, Moose Jaw, SK S6H 0L4

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