Dorothy Dean

Dorothy K. Dean, 90, of Highmore, passed away Thursday, April 7, 2011 at the Highmore Health, Highmore, South Dakota.

Dorothy has been cremated and interment will be at a later date in Youngstown Cemetery, Lincolnville, Maine. No services will be held and the family requests any memorials be directed to the charity of your choice.

Dorothy Mae Stewart was born May 9, 1920 in Springfield, Massachusetts and lived there with her parents and two sisters.  At the age of eight, she was “put on the state” and spent the remainder of her childhood growing up in three separate foster homes.  Most of those years were spent in Framingham, Massachusetts where she graduated from High School and worked as a waitress until she was married.

Dorothy married Harvey E. Dean of Lincolnville, Maine on the 27^th of July, 1940, and raised two sons on their farm near Lincolnville Center.  For the first five years, Dorothy kept house, raised the children, provided full-time care for Harvey’s maternal grandparents who also lived on the farm and helped Harvey keep the farm going.  By the mid forties, the small farm would no longer support a growing family so both Dorothy and Harvey found it necessary to get permanent, off-farm work.  For the next 15 years, Dorothy worked full-time at Scott Knight’s General Store in Lincolnville Center and helped Harvey with a variety of jobs.  In 1960, she became a teller at the Camden National Bank in Camden, ME.  In 1979, then head teller at the bank, she severely hurt her back at work and was physically forced to retire in 1980.

Harvey also retired in 1980’s and they continued to live on the family farm but sold the old farm house and most of the land.  In 1992 they moved to Highmore, South Dakota to be near their two sons.  By then they had been married 52 years and Harvey had lived on the old family farm property for over 70 years.  In Highmore, they lived on Maple Avenue until November 2002 when Harvey entered the Highmore Healthcare Center and Dorothy moved in with her son Spencer.  In April 2004, Dorothy also entered the Highmore Healthcare Center.

After nearly 63 years, Dorothy lost Harvey in May 2003.  She is survived by their sons, John (Barbara) Dean of Rapid City, SD and Spencer (Dorothy) Dean of Highmore, SD; four grandchildren and six great grandchildren: Deborah Dean (son Drew) of Anchorage, Alaska, David (Dorothy) Dean (daughter Jenna) of near Rockerville, SD, Jon (Diane) Dean (sons, Kyle and Tyler) of Highmore, SD and James (Michelle Carey) Dean (daughter Bailey and son Waylon) of Highmore, SD; sister-in-law, Ruth Soule and her family of Union, ME; her half brother, Andres Pierpont of Lady Lake, FL; and her niece, Betty Ann and George Frechette of Springfield, MA.

Luze Funeral Home of Highmore, SD has been entrusted with Dorothy’s arrangements.