Dean Work

Dean Work November 12, 1935 - April 15, 2020 Encinitas Dean Work of Encinitas died peacefully on Wednesday, April 15. He was 84. Youngest of five children, Dean lived a full and joyful life, raising three loving children and pursuing a successful career in international pharmaceutical management. Dean's friends knew him as someone with intelligence, humor, kindness, and quiet dignity. He loved children, and they loved him. He could talk with knowledge on any topic and never spoke unkind words. A lifelong learner, Dean loved aviation, earned his commercial rating, and flew his own Cherokee Archer II. He pursued avid interests in astronomy, photography, cycling, sailing, hunting, poetry, and music. He read voraciously, spoiled his dachshunds, and walked the tide pools looking for marine critters. Dean was born in Omaha, NE, moved at an early age to Aruba, and lived an idyllic childhood until Germans attacked the island in 1942. He returned home, attended Newark Arts High School, and Rutgers University then joined the army as an MP, serving in Bordeaux, France, for five years. He held jobs at Pitman-Moore, Ross Products, Wyeth, Abbott, Novartis, and several biotech start-ups, traveling to six continents and living abroad. He launched cyclosporine in 1983, which changed organ transplantation forever, served on the Board of Directors of the Swiss Red Cross, ran Ross Asia nutritional operations, and collaborated with CDC on measles and smallpox eradication programs in Africa.Dean and Susan married in 1987 and came to San Diego in 1996. They hosted family gatherings, enjoyed San Diego's outdoor life, and traveled. In his last year, Dean entertained caregivers with his constant smiles and laughter. While suffering the indignities of Alzheimer's, he never lost his spark of joy. Daughter Jenny reminds us to honor and delight in his spirit whenever we see someone roll their eyes at a corny "dad" joke.He is survived by his wife, Susan Work of Encinitas; daughters, Suzanne (Tim) Miller-Childers of Indianapolis, and Jennifer Work (John O'Connell) and her mother Diana Work, of Arizona; grandson, Jacob Miller of Indianapolis, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his son, James P Work.He will be cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.