Obituary of George Emory Dean III

George Emory Dean III was born Dec. 16, 1944 in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, and passed away July 5, 2019 in Simi Valley, California. He was the son of the late Edna G. (Mecusker) Dean Parnell and the late George E. Dean, Jr. who was a tail-gunner in the Army Air Corps and died in World War II, six months before the birth of his son. 

George spent his early days with his grandparents and uncles on their dairy farm near Jamestown, New York while his mother completed her degree at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she met and later married Thomas F. Parnell. The family relocated to Detroit, Michigan, and two years later they welcomed a second son, Thomas F. Parnell, Jr.

During his junior high and high school years, George participated in R.O.T.C. and played clarinet and saxophone in band.  After his graduation from Southeastern High School in Detroit, he enlisted in the U. S. Army. He attended Army Signal School at Ft. Monmouth, N.J. and was a member of the Army Honor Guard Drill Team. He was then stationed at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia where he worked in cryptography.

George was honorably discharged in 1966 and moved to California to enroll at Ambassador College in Pasadena, CA. It was there that he met his future wife, Carol Daniels. He spent two years in Pasadena and then one year at the college’s second campus in Texas. He returned to California in 1969 and enrolled in Grossmont College in La Mesa, CA. He and Carol were married May 17, 1970.

After receiving his Associates Degree, with honors, in 1972, George continued his education at San Diego State University.  On September 30, 1972 the couple welcomed a daughter, Sara Carol-Ann. She was the joy of their lives and filled their home with love and laughter, turning George into a doting Daddy.

George graduated with a B.S. in Accounting in 1975, and was hired by Cubic Corporation in San Diego, where he worked for 10 years as a Contracts Administrator and Cost Analyst.

Tragedy struck in 1979 with the sudden loss of George’s  brother, Tom Parnell, Jr. But the birth of a nephew, J.R. Parnell, on January 9, 1980 eased the loss. And on March 12, 1980, Carol gave birth to their son, George E. Dean IV, bringing a new level of joy to the whole family.

In 1985, the family moved to Simi Valley, CA, where they remain to this day. George worked for Whittaker-Tasker, Northrup, and finally Rocketdyne. He enjoyed his work in the aerospace industry, but in 1994, after an industry-wide slump and a lay-off, he decided to fulfill a life-long dream of becoming a teacher. He signed on as a substitute with L.A. Unified, working every day in some of the worst schools and most difficult classes. After a year, he decided that Special Education was for him and enrolled at California State University Northridge in their Teacher Credentialing Internship Program. It was a long road, with over 65 units of post-graduate study, but he loved his work and considered it well worth the effort.

In fall 2002, George was diagnosed with a giant aneurysm on the brainstem. He underwent a very complicated surgery at UCLA Medical Center, which he miraculously survived. His family cared for him and saw him through the two-year recovery and rehabilitation, after which he returned to teaching and completed his coursework to receive his final Level 2 Clear Credential.  He continued in his beloved profession until another health crisis in 2011 forced him to retire.

In 2015, tragedy struck once again. On April 13, 2015, their son George IV was hospitalized with suspected pneumonia after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, and Reynaud’s disease. Within hours he landed in the ICU on life support. For a few days, he seemed to rally, but on April 26, 2015, he lost his battle. The family was devastated and George’s health issues, which now included Parkinson’s disease, continued to worsen.

Throughout his adult life, George served in his Church, participating in Spokesman’s Club, Security, Set-up and Clean-up Teams, Children’s Bible Classes, Family Day Organizer and Worship Teams. For the last six years, he was unable to attend church, which brought him great sadness. But his faith never wavered.

In July 2018, George was hospitalized once again after developing a serious problem with his esophagus which prevented him from taking in nutrition, hydration and medication. After two weeks, he was transferred to a local nursing home where he remained for 11 months, declining even further, and eventually being confined to a wheelchair. While there, he enjoyed attending weekly worship services with his fellow residents.

On June 30, 2019 George was rushed to the emergency room with pneumonia. Further investigation revealed a severe infection and unspecified malignancies. He was placed in hospice care and finally lost his brave battle on July 5, 2019.

George will be remembered for his warmth, humor, kindness and friendly nature. It has often been said that he never met a stranger. He loved his God, his family, his church, his students and his friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, George Dean Jr. (1944) and Edna G. Parnell (2015); two half-brothers, Walter Frank Dean (1942) and Thomas Parnell Jr. (1979), his son George Dean IV (2015); two brothers-in-law, Leo Robinson (1991 ) and Leroy Daniels (2016); and two sisters-in-law, Peggy Daniels (1989) and Suzanne Daniels (2018) . He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Carol (Daniels) Dean; his daughter Sara C. Dean; two brothers-in-law, Jim Daniels and Tony Gervasio; four sisters-in-law, Susan Parnell, Georgia (Daniels) Robinson, Catherine (Daniels) Gervasio and Gerri Daniels; six nieces, five nephews, ten grand-nieces, nine grand-nephews and numerous cousins.