Charles Daly Dean Jr.

Charles Daly Dean, Jr. ("Chuck") passed into eternal life on Friday, November 21, 2025; he was 87 years old. He was a longtime resident of Wilmington, North Carolina.

Mr. Dean was born in 1937 in Norfolk, Virginia, to Charles and Gaines Dean. The second of two sons, he attended elementary school at Norfolk Academy in Norfolk, Virginia, and secondary school at Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Maryland. After a particularly difficult and unsuccessful first semester at Villanova University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1957. He was honorably discharged in 1963. After boot camp, and concurrent with his responsibilities in the Marine Corps, Mr. Dean enrolled at and graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1962.

Shortly after graduation, he began a 50-year career in the lumber business as a salesman for his family's business under the tutelage of his uncle, Thomas A. Dean, of The Dean Company of Chicago, Illinois. With the help of his uncle and a business partner, Mr. Dean founded Dean Hardwoods, Inc., in 1967, becoming sole owner in 1981. He was very successful in the lumber business at a time when the imported lumber trade was, in many ways, far more complicated and risky. He traveled extensively throughout Asia - from Japan to the Philippines, Hong Kong to Taiwan, Thailand to Burma - always searching for the very best lumber to supply his furniture and boat-building customers. He was as devoted to his suppliers as he was to his customers. A handshake deal was as good as any written contract. He was a tough but fair negotiator. He made many dear friends through his business dealings. He learned the names of everyone he met - from the owner of a business to the shop foreman, forklift drivers, and security guards. He was genuinely interested in each person he encountered and treated everyone with dignity and decency.

Mr. Dean was married to his high school sweetheart, Mary Frances King, in 1963, and together they raised five sons in Virginia Beach, Virginia, until the family relocated to Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1984. Mr. and Mrs. Dean were lifelong faithful Roman Catholics. They quietly supported their longtime parish, the Basilica Shrine of St. Mary, most especially during the restoration of the church building and its magnificent organ.

One of Mr. Dean's greatest honors was facilitating the complete re-decking of the USS North Carolina (BB-55) in Wilmington. He humbly spearheaded the diplomatic effort to secure the donation of teak lumber from the government of Myanmar. Having secured the donation, he and his employees kiln-dried and manufactured all of the new decking. The teak that now adorns the deck of the USS North Carolina is among the finest ever produced. Without his involvement, this monumental project would never have come to fruition. He viewed his efforts as both an honor and a duty to his country.

Outside of business and family, Mr. Dean dedicated himself to promoting the sanctity of all human life, from conception to natural death. He spent decades working tirelessly to give voice to the voiceless. Through this work he had the privilege of meeting, in person, Saint Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and the man he considered his mentor, the Venerable Dr. Jérôme Lejeune.

His memory was phenomenal. He would often regale everyone with stories from his early and later life with an incredible knack for detail.

In his later years he thoroughly enjoyed woodworking in his home workshop. He would work tirelessly creating memorial flag cases and funerary urns for veterans and friends and family. His connection with USS North Carolina (BB-55) continued with his work with the new USS North Carolina (SSN-777). Every member of the crew would receive a plaque he created with their name and service dates.

Mr. and Mrs. Dean were absolutely devoted to each other. Their marriage and friendship allowed each of them to become the best version of themselves. Mr. Dean was Mrs. Dean's constant caretaker during the last ten years of her life. He was a Marine through and through - softer with age, but still a Marine. To our mother's chagrin, he would often declare, "Enlisting in the Marine Corps was the most important decision of my life!" She would ask, "Well, what about marrying me?" He would reply, "Without the Marine Corps, I would never have been the man I needed to be to marry you."

A gentleman to his core.

A man of deep convictions.

Generous to a fault.

A devoted husband and father.

He will be greatly missed. May his memory be eternal.

Mr. Dean is survived by his sons, Tom, Patrick (Patrisha), John, and Matthew (Teresa); nine grandsons; two granddaughters; two great-grandsons; and one surviving cousin, Dale (Jean). Mr. Dean was predeceased by his wife, Mary; his eldest son, Charles; his brother, Richmond; and his beloved uncle, Tom.

The Dean family would like to thank Isaac for being Mr. Dean's companion during the first months of his illness. We would especially like to thank Tywana, who was his caretaker almost every day during the last few months of his infirmity until the day he passed. The family would also like to express sincere gratitude to all the staff of Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, most especially Kathy - whose laughter could light up a room - and Shannon, who, despite her unfortunate taste in football teams, was a kind listener and a wonderful nurse.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 am, December 3, 2025 at the Basilica of St Mary, 412 Ann Street Wilmington, NC 28401.

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Wilmington Funeral & Cremation 1535 S. 41st Street Wilmington, NC 28403. 910.791.9099