Dean Alton DeMasi

Dean Alton DeMasi
October 30, 1925 - March 11, 2024
On March 11, 2024 Dean DeMasi silently slipped away to be with his heavenly family. He was born in Lake Placid, New York on October 30, 1925. He married Anne Egerton on May 10, 1953 and they were blessed to celebrate 70 years of marriage last spring.
Dean was preceded in death by his parents, Mabel and Ralph DeMasi and his brothers, Donal, Robert, and Ralph. He has been a member of First Presbyterian Church in Raleigh since 1953 and was a Deacon Emeritus. Dean graduated from Harrison High School in Westchester, New York. He also graduated from Roosevelt Aeronautical College and the Academy of Aeronautics where he trained to be a flight engineer. In the 1940s, as a flight engineer, he was required to be part of the flight crew on some overseas commercial passenger flights.
Dean served in the United States Air Force and was discharged in 1952. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for ground operations against the enemy during the Korean War.
He moved to Raleigh in 1952 where he was offered a job at the old Raleigh Municipal Airport. He often flew planes for the Raleigh Times when they wanted pictures of various events such as train wrecks or the final construction of Cameron Village. He was in the Raleigh Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Jaycees. Dean found joy in coaching Little League baseball for six years.
In 1965, Dean was hired at IBM where he worked as an industrial hygienist for 23 years. At IBM, he was in charge of monitoring operations that could be hazardous to employees.
After retirement, Anne and Dean volunteered for Meals on Wheels. They delivered meals for over 30 years in Raleigh as he was a great believer in giving back to his community.
Dean spent many happy hours on the golf course at North Ridge Country Club with his friends and family. As a testament to his golfing skills, he was awarded the Watson Trophy at an IBM golf tournament in 1975. Dean enjoyed all types of sports and was a longtime member of the Raleigh Sports Club.
Dean is survived by his loving wife, Anne. Also surviving are his nephew Dylan DeMacy, his wife Allison and children Brendan and Olivia; nephew Donovan DeMacy; nieces Vera DeMasi Canton, Michelle Inkel, Mona Lynn DeMasi and Gail Kabrin; and first cousin, Richard Schinto.
A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Raleigh on Saturday, April 6th at 3:00pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts should be made to First Presbyterian Church, 112 S. Salisbury Street, Raleigh, NC 27601; Shady Grove United Methodist Church, 2655 NC Hwy. 58, Warrenton, NC 27589, or the SPCA of Wake County, 200 Petfinder Lane, Raleigh NC 27603. The family wants to express their appreciation to Stewart Health Center at Springmoor for their compassionate care during Dean's final days.