Born Herbert Dean Gunn on the 30th day of September, 1930, to Raymond and Etta Gunn, in the township of Sampson in Chippewa County Wisconsin. He grew up on the family farm in Rusk County Wisconsin and went to several area elementary schools. He graduated from Island Lake School, attended only one semester at Bruce Wisconsin High. He was preceded in death by an infant brother, Marvin; his parents, Raymond and Etta (Randolph) Gunn; grandparents, Frank and Iva Gunn; and William, Dona Randolph and Darrell Gunn.

During his life, Dean worked for farmers near his family home, until summer of 1948 when he went to Plainview Minnesota to look for farm work. He worked for a couple of farmers there doing seasonal jobs.  In the fall of 1949 he met his future wife, Lores Fenske and it was love at first sight. They dated until Lores graduated from Plainview High in spring of 1951. They married on the 11th day of July, 1951. The next day Dean received induction papers for military service. Two weeks later he left for Fort Leonard Wood. Missouri where he spent 16 weeks basic training in infantry and engineering. Lores lived in Chicago with her mother during this time. One Christmas was spent with his new son before he was ordered to report for duty in the far east command. The end of February of 1952 he left his new family and went to Seattle, Washington where it took two weeks to get a ship and two weeks to get to Tokyo Japan, from there to Korea where he stayed until June of 1953. He returned to the states, July 16th and was discharged on the 28th of July, 1953.

Dean returned to Chicago to pick up his new wife and son, then back to Wisconsin to start a new life. He worked for a farmer or two before finding work at LaCrosse milling company where he worked twelve years. Floods on the Mississippi river forced a search for new work that sent Dean to Belvidere, IL and the Chrysler plant in May of 1966. He worked as an assembler until retiring in July of 1992.

Dean and Lores had nine healthy children. The eldest is Rev. Dean Gunn and wife Lorie, Kasson Mn.; Verlinda Hendricks, Durand IL.; Bruce and wife Joyce, Belvidere; Frank and wife Rhonda, Belvidere; Lori and husband Jack West, Belvidere; Timothy and wife Samantha, Georgetown, In; Raymond and wife Melissa, Loves Park IL; Peter and wife Tammy, Garden Prairie, IL; and April and husband, Jason Kearbey, Belvidere.

Dean and Lores have been married 66 years and counting, till death do we part. They have 30 grandchildren and 42 grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 27, 2018, at Anderson Funeral and Cremation Services, 218 W. Hurlbut Ave., Belvidere, IL 61008. A visitation will be held at 9 a.m., until the time of service. Burial at Belvidere Cemetery. Tim Gumm will be officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Peace Lutheran Church in Belvidere. To light a candle or share a condolence visit www.AndersonFCS.com.