Dean Phillip Horob was born March 29, 1950 to Clenton and Ruth (Jacobson) Horob in rural Williams County, ND. He joined Chipper, JoAnn, Larene, Suzann, and soon Janice at home. Dean attended school at the Dakota Adventist Academy in Harvey and later Bismarck. He graduated with honors from Williston High School in 1968 and went on to graduate with honors from NDSU with a degree in Architecture. Dean was a lifelong Bison (and a tortured Vikings) fan!
Dean worked with his father in the construction business and eventually took over Western, Inc. in Williston. Dean married Sandra Shae in 1975 and to this union, Nicholas and Jocelyn were born. He loved attending his children's activities with his mother in law, Sylvia; especially Nick's football games and Jocelyn's tennis matches. Dean was honest, loyal, and fair both personally and professionally. Due to an industrial accident, Dean closed his business. He relocated to Fargo in 2011 to be closer to Nick and Jocci.
In Fargo, Dean loved going to a woodworking shop he set up. In 2015, Dean completely finished Jocci's basement in her new home and in 2019 he built an impressive addition on Nick's lake cabin. His knowledge and passion for architecture remained strong.
Dean is survived by his son, Nick (Cassandra) and their children, Beckett and Fischer; his daughter Jocelyn (Nate Seiler) and their son, Rhett; brother Chipper Horob; sisters JoAnn (Gary) Sheldon, Larene (Dennis) Grondahl, and Sue Aldridge; numerous nieces and nephews; and former wife, Sandy Horob.
Dean is preceded in death by his sister Janice, their parents, brother in law Grady Aldridge, and mother in law Sylvia Shae.
The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to the nurses, CNAs, and staff of St. Catherine's North in Fargo for their dedication to Dean's care over the last few years. His joking (and flirting) with the staff continued until the end!
A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 4th at the Seventh Day Adventist cemetery (15405 60th St NW). Friends are invited to join the family for lunch at McCody Concrete Products at Noon on Saturday.
In lieu of flowers, the family is humbly asking for donations to Brain Trauma Foundation. 100% of your donations help to improve the outcome of those with traumatic brain injuries (
braintrauma.org).
Published by Williston Herald Media from Oct. 1 to Oct. 4, 2025.