Obituary of Dean Gleason

Dean Gleason December 29, 1923 - January 09, 2016 Funeral services for Rodean (Dean) Gleason, 92, of Lovington, will be at 2 pm, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 at First Baptist Church, Lovington, NM, with Bro. Harry Pittam officiating. Burial will follow at Resthaven Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Kirby-Smith-Rogers Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute towards the family's expensive international flights required to get Dean’s daughter, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to her funeral. In December, Dean enjoyed robust Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in her farm home overflowing with children and grandchildren from around the world, then passed away quietly at home on January 9th with family and care providers at her bedside. Rodean (Dean) Crockett was born Dec. 29, 1923, to Dura and Minnie Pearl (Glenn) Crockett. Her roots go deep in Lea County. Her parents each “proved up” homesteads before marrying – Minnie at Caprock and Dura near Old Plainview. Grandparents William & Phebie (Amerson) Glenn homesteaded at Crossroads. Grandparents William Ransom & Hannah (Wallace) Crockett homesteaded near Lovington. Her great-grandfather, Dr. A.S.A. (Arthur Septimus Asher) Wallace, one of Lea County’s first doctors, homesteaded near Old Plainview. NMSU has established the “Gleason Crockett Glenn Scholarship” to honor Dean’s pioneer family heritage in Lea County. Dean grew up on the family’s homestead on Crockett Road with her sister, Bea (Zahn) and brother Darwin. She practically lived on her horse, herding the family’s sheep and cattle, farming with horse-drawn equipment and milking cows twice a day. Her family burned “cow chips” for cooking and home heating, and used kerosene lamps or wind energy for home lighting. Her hand-cranked telephone’s “party line” ran along the pasture’s fence. Going to the “toilet” required a trip down a path to the outhouse. Bathing, a once-a-week luxury, required hours, carrying water indoor from the windmill, heating it on the stove, then pouring it into a round washtub in the living room where everyone bathed in the same water, according to age, starting with Dad. After graduating from Lovington High, Dean attended Eastern New Mexico University and was active on the Student Council, Inter-Fraternity council, Beta Tau Chi (Beauty Tolerance Character), Pioneer Cacique Leadership Club and was the Home Economics Club’s President. She was named Girl of the Year, in the national Who’s Who, and nominated as an ENMU Beauty Queen. During her last year at ENMU, Dean fell in love with a handsome Air Corp sergeant, Beal Gleason, from nearby Clovis Air Base. When Beal’s unit left suddenly to “fly the hump” over the Himalayas to fight in WWII, their courtship shifted to war-time letters. Dean’s priorities shifted to supporting the war effort, so she left college to become an inspector at the Hobbs Army Airbase propeller department. After WWII, they married at Lovington First Baptist Church, August 31, 1946. They had five children – Sue, Stuart, Jeanne, Patty, and Larry. Through 66 years of marriage, Dean worked side-by-side with Beal on their farms in Iowa, then in Lovington. She wanted her children to “see the world” so, although money was always scarce, Dean turn their car into a traveling hotel, café, and playroom by packing a ‘grub box,’ sleeping bags, and games to help the family afford trips to all the ‘lower 48’ states. Her adventurous spirit took her around the globe, from exploring the Alaskan Arctic Circle, to doing temporary mission work in Swaziland (Southern Africa) where she taught adults to read and sewed needed supplies for the Christian Conference Center alongside her daughter and son-in-law, Ken and Patty. Always full of energy, even in her 80’s Dean parasailed in Hawaii, climbed glaciers in Alaska and rafted wild river rapids in Colorado. Dean placed a high value on God and family as she worked to keep Christ central in their home. Her children remember her Bible Story Time every Saturday night and family hymn singing in the car. She and Beal started each day with Bible reading and prayer. She believed children should be assured of their parents’ love each for other, so she and Beal always kissed after each mealtime prayer. Dean often sewed late into the night to help her daughters dress fashionably, replicating dresses they admired in fashion magazines, but couldn’t afford. Dean worked hard to teach her children to value kindness, hard work, tidiness, proper grammar and hospitality. She loved to host big dinners for family and friends, followed by table games, swapping ‘tall tales’ and lots of laughter. Grandchildren said, “This is a fun party house!” As a teenager, Dean became a Christian at a “brush arbor revival meeting” at Old Antioch and was baptized in a stock tank. During her 92 years, she attended United Methodist, Jackson Avenue Baptist, Love Street Baptist, Hillcrest Baptist and First Baptist where she was passionate about teaching children’s Sunday School and serving as the church photographer. For 45 years, she had a “personal encouragement ministry.” Her numerous log books indicate she sent over 40,000 birthday, anniversary, get well, sympathy and encouragement cards to people around the world. She was preceded in death by her husband, Beal Gleason; her parents, Dura and Minnie Glenn Crockett; siblings Bea Zahn and Darwin Crockett; two sons, Stuart Gleason and Larry Gleason; and two grandchildren, Nathaniel Borgert and Heather Grounds Kennedy. She is survived by her three daughters (with spouses): Sue and Lou Grounds, Denver, CO; Jeanne Gleason, Las Cruces, NM; Patty and Ken Borgert, Pretoria, South Africa; one daughter-in-law, Judy Gleason, Lovington; five grandchildren: Kel Gleason, Lovington; Kyla and Ryan Bleyenberg, Kamloops, British Columbia; Natalie Borgert, Pretoria, South Africa; and Heidi Grounds Stewart, Colorado; and six great-grandchildren: Abigail and Timothy Bleyenberg, Kamloops, BC; and Zachary and Samantha Stewart, and Evan and Jocelyn Kennedy, all of Colorado; and numerous beloved nieces and nephews. Visitation will be on Friday, Jan. 29th from noon until 8:00 pm with family in residence from 4-6 pm at Kirby Smith Rogers Funeral Home, Washington & 4th St., Lovington. The family extends special thanks to the staff of Nor-Lea Hospital and Star Hospice for their excellent care and to her six Lovington care providers whose loving care make it possible for her to remain at home to the end of her life. Condolences may be sent to www.kirbysmithrogers.com.