Deines, Dean Alan

If you knew Dean Alan Deines, quite often you’d find yourself staring at an old tool or an unusual book or an intriguing glass bauble he’d just placed into your hand. A collector of things to contemplate, Dean might leave you to look it over for a few minutes before returning to explain just why it was special and how it might be put to use and perhaps even which “junk shop” he’d rescued it from. Dean, 88, spent his last years surrounded by his collections of stamps and crystal balls, Smithsonian and Machinist magazines, and family photos at CrestRidge Senior Living in Dodgeville, Wisconsin, where he passed away peacefully on November 17, 2025.  

Dean Alan Deines was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on June 23, 1937, to Dean Arthur and Eugenia May (née Martin) Deines. He was lovingly raised by Dean Arthur and Agnes Annette (née Hansen) Deines, along with Eugenia May and Svend Munkhof. Upon graduating from West Side High School, Dean joined the United States Navy on July 20, 1955, and served as a radar operator on the destroyer U.S.S Ingersoll. He married Joyce Carol Franklin on December 31, 1959, and as a civilian continued to work in radar in California, where they enjoyed driving a cherry red Austin-Healey Sprite and welcomed their son, Duane Anthony, on July 29, 1961. The family moved to Omaha when Dean began traveling to the Bahamas as a radar specialist with Motorola. He then worked for many years as a systems analyst with Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company. In the summers, the family often went on a fishing trip to Minnesota, where Dean and Joyce taught their son how to catch Northern Pike and Walleye. A bet was always made for who caught the first fish and the largest! Tools and books followed Dean wherever he lived, including to the home he built for his family in the country near Mead, Nebraska, where he lined his study’s walls from floor to ceiling with all manner of reading material. He also competed with his younger brother to see who could amass the most tools (Dean won!), and built a beautiful dollhouse for his nieces. He became interested in genealogy, leading to a long involvement with the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. He was a proud Bopa and spent many hours antiquing and reading books with his beloved granddaughter, Tiffany. As the years accumulated so too did the treasures Dean rescued while out “junking” and in his retirement he could often be found tinkering with them in his shop, where you’d be just as likely to find a rusty set of vintage chisels as a Baccarat crystal ashtray. 

Dean was preceded in death by his parents and his devoted wife of 54 years, Joyce Deines, and is survived by his son, Duane (Pam) Deines; granddaughter, Tiffany (Nathan) Hegdahl; great-grandson, Arthur Hegdahl; brother Fred (Ellen) Deines; and many family and friends. An inurnment will take place in the spring of 2026 at Springwell Cemetery, Omaha, Nebraska.  

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff at CrestRidge Senior Living and to the staff at Upland Hills Health Hospice. We appreciate their compassionate and exceptional care.