Dean Floyd Nielsen passed away Feb. 7, 2020, in Tremonton, Utah. He was 92 and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was buried Feb. 14. Dean was born Dec. 18, 1927, to Sylvester and Jennie Nielsen in Magna, Utah, one of seven children.
Dean served in the Naval Reserve and Army National Guard over eight years.
He married Jean Sommerville; he had one son, Dennis; later divorced.
He married Barbara Anderson. They had three sons, Donald, David and Darrel (Donald and David died in infancy). They spent most of their marriage in California where Dean worked at McClellan Air Force Base and other places. They moved back to Utah in the early ’80s. Barbara passed away in 1984.
He married Idella Whitaker. They traveled around the United States and drove out to Wendover as often as possible, taking a couple of Della’s friends with them. Idella passed away in March of 2015. Losing her was hard. He missed her a lot.
Dean enjoyed reading, baseball, music, and “Western” movies. He learned the guitar in his 70s but had to quit playing because arthritis twisted his fingers so he couldn’t place them on the strings correctly.
Dean loved being around people and visiting, especially teasing waitresses. He was always up for a trip to Chuck-A-Rama. Some things filling his later days were senior center lunch (where they “watched him like a hawk” trying to keep him safe), walks, word puzzles, coloring, and breakfast at McDonald’s. He stopped driving last year, sold his beloved car, and spoke often of missing it.
He is survived by his sons Dennis (Gloria) Kerby and Darrell; grandchildren Dawna, Artie, Michael, Michelle; great-grandchildren Dillan, Devree, Daylee, Zachary; great-great-grandson Ledger; brother Grant; special friend Tamara. He was preceded in death by his parents and five siblings. Love and miss you, Dad!