Kathleen A. Dean

1948 - 2019

Kathleen A. Dean died peacefully on March 22, 2019 surrounded by her family that she loved dearly.

In keeping with Kathy's wishes, there will be no calling hours. A Celebration of Life gathering will take place on Saturday (April 27, 2019) from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Seneca Lake Duck Hunters Club.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Kathy's name to the Yates County Humane Society.

Kathy was born on January 9, 1948 and was adopted shortly after birth by the late Paul and Carrie (Jensen) Johnson. She grew up in Penn Yan with her brother, Ronnie, before moving to Benton Center. There her love for horses and nature flourished. Kathy graduated from Penn Yan Academy in 1966. It was then she met the love of her life, Clifford "Butch" Deanand they married on July 30, 1967 and celebrated 50 years of marriage in 2017. Kathy and Butch raised two sons, Jud and Jeff. While the boys were young, Kathy taught her self how to groom dogs and ran a successful dog grooming business out of their home for several years. When the boys got older, Kathy continued her education and received her Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from FLCC, graduating with honors. From there she decided to work outside the home working in various jobs throughout the community including for attorney Weston Palmer, VR Foods, Townsend-Wood Funeral Home and Keuka College. Kathy loved nature and animals of all kinds. She was always proud of the accomplishments of her sons. She enjoyed watching monster movies, gatherings with her cousins, friday lunches with Sandy, hikes on the Outlet Trail, hide-n-go seek with her grandsons, shopping with anyone and everyone, trips to Las Vegas and Salamanca and evening walks around Dresden.

Kathy is survived by her loving husband of 51 years, Butch; her sons Judson (Tammy) Dean, Jeffrey (Patty) Dean; grandchildren Matt, Kevin (Mara), Preston, Ryan, Brandon and Allie Rose, her brother, Ronald (Mary) Johnson; sister-in-law, Florence Dean; brother-in-law, Ed (Robin) Dean; and several nieces, nephews, cousins, close friends and her kitties Skeeter and Mason. In October 2018, she welcomed her first great-granddaughter, Marie.

Kathy is preceded in death by her parents Paul and Carrie Johnson, and her best friend, Sandy Harris.

Kathy's family would like to extend a heartfelt Thank You to the entire staff at the Penn Yan Manor for the wonderful care they gave her and her family the past few months.