NELSON, Oral Dean

Vistoso Funeral Home, Oro Valley, Arizona Dean Nelson May 18, 1928 ~ September 16, 2012 Brigadier General Oral Dean Nelson, entered into the presence of His Lord Sunday, September 16, 2012 after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease. Dean was born May 18, 1928 in Creston, Iowa where he grew up on the family farm north of town. After graduating from high school with honors he attended the University of Arizona earning a B.A. degree in Classics. In June 1953, he married his high school sweetheart, Violette Fulton. They lived in Chicago and Park Ridge, Il. where their son Jeffrey Dean and daughter Jocelyn Patrice were born. He earned doctorates including a Th.D. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University while serving twelve years as a parish minister, building a thriving church from a handful of people who started the church in a school. During this time Dean joined the U.S. Army reserves at the urging of a close friend, also a minister, who said it would be a healthy diversion. Was it ever! Dean immersed himself in the military educational process which allowed him to advance from 1st Lt. to Brigadier General. Dean's varied career contributed greatly to society and earned him the love and respect of many people in all walks of life across our nation. Dean and Violette retired to Tucson, AZ in 1994 where they joined St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church. The next 17 years Dean invested his energies, heart and soul, into the development of one of the finest theological church libraries in the country. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Violette; son Jeffrey Dean (Muriel) ; daughter Jocelyn Patrice (Hubert) Yousif; granddaughters Natasha and Nadya Yousif; brothers Dale (Ingrid), Charles (Helga) and Everett (Barbara); sister Phyllis (Kirpal) Singh. A memorial service will be held at St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church, at River and Campbell, on Saturday October 27, 2012 at 2:00 pm. Memorial contributions may be made to Renouf-Nelson Library at St. Philip's, Parkinson's Foundation or to Casa de la Luz Hospice.