Franklin Delano Dean, Sr. (named after the president who "put food back on my family's table," according to his father "Pappy" Dean) passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 29, 2024, in Irwinton, GA, not far from where he was born, on July 4, 1934. His wife of 72 years, Sara Marguerite Collins Dean, was by his side. Frank Dean is the father of nine children, twelve grand children and six great grandchildren. He is also the uncle of Donnie Davis (pictured below on his knee circa 1954) and Bibb County, GA Sheriff, David Davis.

He started out his working life in the rail yard of Macon, GA, but his interest and self-taught skill in electronics landed him a job working on jets and guidance systems at Warner Robins Air Force Base in the 1950s. After accidentally burning down his in-laws' Southern masion (leaving him near death, covered with 3rd degree burns) and receiving much hate from his new brothers-in-law for that, he still managed to father three children while there in Georgia (Dale, David and Tim.) In 1957, with just 50 dollars to his name, he drove across the country, moving his family to California and there fathered six more children (Patti, Mark, Tammy, Shawn, Shannon and Danny.)

In the 1960s he worked for Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, California and over his career worked on projects such as the Apollo XI capsule, and highly classified military control systems for aircraft and missiles, sonar and radar systems and co-generation applications for turbine engines. It was his experience in co-generation systems that landed him a job at the LA Times where he developed the use of turbine (jet) engines as emergency power for the newspaper's printery at Times Mirror Square in downtown Los Angeles. He worked for the LA Times for nearly 30 years before he retired, turning down a supervisory position to pursue a full-time spiritual pursuit as a minister. Five of his children, a son-in-law and one grandchild (Katrina Dean who was a writer for the paper) also worked at the at the Times over the years..

At home he was known as a man who could build and fix anything. Once, when he heard his children say their neighbor friends had gotten brand new Huffy "motocross" bicycles for Christmas, he obtained a truck load of old bicycle parts from a junk yard (because money was tight) and made from scrap, for each of his 4 youngest children, their own custom bikes. Even though my friends laughed at my pieced-together blue "girls" bike with awkwardly long handlebars, I loved my bike. And because my Dad knew all about gear ratios, I could leave all my friends in the dust with my beautiful Frankenstein bike. My siblings felt the same about theirs.

Dad was simple and light-hearted in nature, but he was passionate about defending weak ones from bullies, and had no tolerance for injustice and inequality. He bandaged our skinned knees, but also threw away the Big-Wheels that caused them. He was a warrior for safety and brought all nine of his children safely into old age because of that vigilance. He did not permit laziness or poor craftmanship among his children. He liked to build things one way, "the right way," and just once, "so strong it would never fall apart and he'd never have to build it again."

Dad was an avid train enthusiast, and once built a train set the size of a two-car garage, that included an entire town, with lights in the buildings, and a mountain with a tunnel. Each of his children got a model house in the town and their own train engine.

In his later years, Dad became a congregation Elder and Full-time minister, something we were all proud of him for becoming. He worked so hard, building, fixing and tenderly loving in his child-like way right up to just months before his passing at 90 years of age. He will always be our beloved patriarch and we are honored to carry forth his legacy. The memorial service will be held on Nov. 9, 2024 and anyone can attend via Zoom by calling Shawn “Zen” Dean at 478-663-9503.

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