Donald Preston Dean

He was a father, friend, employer, a teacher of my trade and most of the crafts I know. And most of all, one who loved to discuss the things of God.

It was he who gave me my work ethics: that if I wanted more pay, then do more than I am getting paid to do.

He pushed me to be a “can do” person. He would tell me, “don’t say I can’t, but say I can’t hardly”. And: “if it was easy, anybody could do it”.

He made the buck stop with me and not him. I was dispatched once to repair an air compressor in High Island, Texas. We had recently purchased new Johnson Two Way Radios and I guess he thought I was getting a little to quick to use this new technology to get my answers from Him. I was having difficulty figuring out the problem so I thought I would call him for help. “Unit 503 to base” I said, then there came the reply, “base go ahead”. I quickly told him the problem and said I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. It seemed like he never would answer when I heard the mike key up and out came these words I have never forgotten:
“I’m not there" I quickly told him of what I thought of his answer - without turning on the mike of course. I fixed the problem!

I learned a lot about God walking with Dad. There are a couple of things I know he would want me to share for we talked of them often.

1. The Word of God is TRUE!

I had always known Dad to love God but there came a time in his life that his love for the word and for prayer grew exponentially.

We had moved to Austin to start a new business. And behind my Dad’s desk on a large white board were these words from Ps. 1, “...He shall be like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. And whatever he doeth shall prosper.”

With these words behind him, we did not succeed, but rather we lost the business, and it seemed the Word of God was not true. But out of the ashes came up a man of prayer and the Word. Sometime later we were having lunch and with tears in our eyes discussing our lot in life and how our experience had drawn us closer to God. It was then we realized that the Word of God was true, we had prospered, in the things that mattered most, it was the experience that was a lie. God had not failed us!

Together we had learned a lesson that all must know, that when the Word of God and the experience do not agree, believe the Word of God!

2. God is a good God, and there is no evil in Him!

We were eating lunch one day when again with tears in his eyes, Dad related to me that he had spent most of his life thinking God was like angry old man looking for a reason to knock him over the head when he did something wrong. But now he understood that God was a good God, that God continually watched over him to change him little by little to be more like Jesus Christ. And that it was out of the goodness and mercies of God and not out of God’s anger that he had experienced the things he had - in order that he may know the truth.

To sum things up I borrow the words from an old song, sometimes God has to wash our eyes with tears that we might see.

An evangelist years ago, spoke these words I wrote in my Bible concerning the trials of life: “Sometimes God develops and sometimes He delivers”.

This was a time of Dad’s deliverance.

I Love you Dad, thanks for the good times!

Papa Dean - Today was the day that I had to say good bye to a man that was my "Godly" father figure. Who prayed for me and loved me as his own. When I talked with you the other day and told you how much I missed you. I would never had thought those words would be the words that I am continuing to say today. I will miss you tremendously and I thank God that he put you in my path. Just recently I begin to reflect on something you had told me 11 years ago, when I had Kinley you would tell everybody that she was my "alpha & omega." I started thinking about that the other because truly she was my "alpha & omega" but it also applied to my life - it was the (alpha) beginning of my Christian walk and the (omega) end to a life that I left behind. So those words will live forever in my heart! Thank you again Papa Dean for being the person you were and teaching me about the blood of Jesus.
I love & will miss you. I can't wait to see you at those pearly gates.
Pam Allen Dean

We are so sorry for your loss. May God keep each of you close. He truly will ease your pain. Our love goes with you. Diane,Nikki,Chris and Drake