Dean Robert Andersen, 87, of Lebanon, died Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023.
He was born June 23, 1935, in Omaha, Neb. to Carl Robert and Edna Louise Rassmussen Andersen.
On Oct. 23, 1964, he was united in marriage to Patricia Louise Williams, and they raised their family in Lebanon. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Helen Cermak; and his wife Patricia.
Dean is survived by his daughter, Lana Raquel Babb, and her husband, Larry, of St. Peters; a son, Eric Robert Andersen, and his wife, Cynda, of Lebanon; grandchildren, Alaina Hubecky, Jordan Andersen, Morgan Andersen, Caleb Babb, Huck Andersen, and Amelia Andersen; one great-grandchild, Piper Hubecky and a coming blessing to the Jordan Andersen family; two sisters, Anne Gorman-Tribble and Evelyn Russell, both of Lebanon; several nieces and nephews; his devoted friends, Walter Shugar and Kenneth Vest; as well as a host of other relatives and friends.
Around the age of nine months, Dean came with his parents to the dairy farm just outside of Lebanon. He attended grammar school at Flag Pond School and then Lebanon High School where he played football. He was a young high school student, so he was only 14 his sophomore year when he made the football team. Because of the work at the dairy farm, he was only allowed to play football if he could walk home or get his own rides. Somehow, he managed to trick his way into a drivers’ license at only 14 so that he didn’t have to walk from the high school campus (the old Lebanon Junior High) all the way out to the family farm. He loved telling stories about growing up on the farm, getting his first job at a store in town, and being a part of an undefeated football team.
After graduation, he spent some time working for his mother’s family in Iowa before he enlisted in the Navy. He served as a boiler mate on a hospital ship in the Navy in Japan during the end of the Korean War and received training in commercial refrigeration. When he returned state-side, he worked at a Boeing aircraft plant in California attended some college nearby before returning to Lebanon.
He refined his skills in the trade of air-conditioning and refrigeration repair working at Bruton Electric and eventually started his own business, Andersen Aire. In the mid-1970s, he was hired as the teacher of air-conditioning and refrigeration at the Laclede Area Vocational Center. During his tenure there, he served as the Local Education Association President and worked on many educational initiatives to support his colleagues and the students of Lebanon including being a co-author on an air-conditioning and refrigeration text book. He enjoyed the on-the-job training that his students received building houses in Lebanon every two to three years. His only complaint: teacher dress code required a shirt and tie which he promptly had to cover up with work coveralls. But he used that as a teachable moment for his students making sure they understood that how they presented themselves to a customer and how they took care of that customer’s home was just as important as the service. A special point of pride was that his program at the Vocational Center was always full and his students were placed in their field at a rate in the mid- to high- 90s; many of his students opened their own businesses in Lebanon and the surrounding areas.
Dean and Patricia were active members of Trinity Lutheran Church in their early years. Then, they joined Southern Heights Christian Church where they served together for over twenty-seven years; Dean served as a deacon with a special focus on facilities. Dean also served on the Laclede County Soil Conservation Commission and managed his own Polled Hereford farm right next to the Carl Andersen homestead where he had quite a few registered animals through the years.
People who knew Dean will say that he never met a stranger. Whether it was his 6’4” stature or his warm smile, Dean seemed to draw people to him. He was a story-teller and would strike up a conversation with anyone anywhere. His kids remember feeling like he knew someone everywhere they went, even if it was one of their many sporting events all over the state of Missouri! Dean enjoyed cheering for his children in all of the sports that they played and celebrating their many educational accomplishments; he and Patricia even continued going to Friday night games after his youngest graduated while they waited for their grandchildren to get old enough to play.
Dean will be remembered by so many whose lives he impacted. We are confident that his family and friends will have many stories to tell when they reminisce about his life and the difference he made.
Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, at Holman-Howe Funeral Home in Lebanon. Burial will be in Mount Rose Memorial Park in Lebanon. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. Monday in Holman-Howe Funeral Home. A memorial has been established for the Dean Andersen Scholarship and donations may be made through the funeral home.
Arrangements are under the direction of Holman-Howe Funeral Home of Lebanon. For more information or to visit the website go to
www.holmanhowe.com.
