Robert Dean 'Dean' Chesterman

Friday, July 31, 2009

June 6, 1929-July 29, 2009

BEAVER CITY -- Robert Dean "Dean" Chesterman, 80, died Wednesday (July 29, 2009) at his home in Beaver City.

He was born June 6, 1929, at Ballantine, Mont., to Frank Elijah and Blanche Faye (Smith) Chesterman.

He attended his first 10 years of school at a rural consolidated school near Ballantine. He moved with his parents to Beaver City, in the fall of 1945. He completed his junior and senior years at the Beaver City High School graduating with the class of 1947. His first employment was delivering ice for the Beaver City ice plant. He later worked at a bakery in Colby, Kan. In 1948 he became employed at the bakery in Beaver City. In 1949, Dean went into partnership with his brother Don and purchased a dray service. They hauled all of the building material to the new courthouse site. After it's completion they sold the dray line.

On Feb. 23, 1950, he married Caryol Lucile Strickland at Lexington. He was employed at a local black smith's shop during the day and ran the projector at the theater at night. In 1951 he began working part time for the Soil Conservation Service. In 1952 he became employed by the Kansas Nebraska Gas Company. In 1954 he went back to work for the SCS retiring from the ASCS in 1970. He then became employed doing carpentry and operating a "fix anything" business. He worked from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. at the local light plant until the plant closed in 1979.

From 1959 until 1969, he served on the Beaver City Volunteer Fire Department, where he served several years as Fire Chief. He coached Little League Baseball during the 1960s and also served as a Boy Scout Master.

He was preceded in death by his father on Nov. 5, 1944; his mother on June 29, 1975; three brothers, Dwight, Bernard and Donald and his wife JoAnn; and a brother-in-law, Farrel Bates.

Survivors include his wife, Caroyl of Beaver City; two sons, Michael and wife, Debra of Nebraska City, and Dennis and wife, Chris of Beaver City; a daughter, Sandra Klein and husband Terry, also of Beaver City; one brother Phillip Chesterman and his wife Pat of Lincoln; two sisters, Ruth Farnes and husband, Paul of Warden, Mont., and Barbara Bates of Beaver City; one sister-in-law, Joyce Stratton of Ammond, Idaho; nine grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.

Memorial services will be Monday, 10 a.m., at the Friendship Center in Beaver City with the Rev. Keith Theobald officiating. Inurnment will be at the Union Cemetery in Hollinger.

There will be no visitation.

Memorials may be directed to the Beaver City Volunteer Fire and Rescue Unit.

Banta-Torrey Funeral Home in Alma is in charge of arrangements.