10 hours ago
John W. Dean John W. Dean of Albuquerque NM died peacefully
Jun. 23—John W. Dean John W. Dean of Albuquerque NM died peacefully on Sunday, June 8, 2025 at the Montebello Assisted Living Facility in Albuquerque, NM. John was born on April 6, 1929 in Cambridge, MA to James and Mildred Dean. John spent much of his youth on his uncle Steven's farm in rural Connecticut where he became a Boy Scout and developed an interest in the outdoors. During WW2 he moved with his family to Louisiana where he graduated from high school and enrolled in at LSU. After receiving his B.A. from LSU he was drafted into the US Army and sent to White Sands Missile Range as a mechanic working on rocket engines. After receiving an honorable discharge from the Army, John enrolled in the graduate engineering program at the University of Colorado, Boulder. While attending graduate school, John met and married Margaret (Joy) Blackadar and they moved into a small cabin in Nederland, Colorado and adopted two children, Steven and Nancy. After receiving his Master's Degree in Engineering, John worked for the Bureau of Standards in Boulder, Colorado; Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxford, England; Brookhaven National Laboratory in NY and spent the rest of his career at Los Alamos National laboratory in Los Alamos, NM. After retiring, John began to build and fly ultra-light aircrafts. He spent many hours at the airport in Los Lunas, NM and made many friends in the ultra-light community. He was also a long time member of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque, NM where he found great community, fellowship, and support. John is preceded in death by his parents James and Mildred Dean, his sister Nancy Humphrey and his wife Margaret (Joy) Dean. He is survived by his two children Steven Dean and his wife Erika Britt-Dean of Salt Lake City, UT and Nancy Johnson of Albuquerque, NM and his five grandchildren Wyatt and Savannah Dean and Emily, Cole, and Davis Johnson. Services will be held at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, Albuquerque, NM on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 10:00 am. In lieu of flowers please send donations to the National Alzheimer's Association.
