Our beloved husband, brother, father, grandfather and great-grandfather passed away at home on May 13, 2014. Bill battled declining health issues for a long time and had failing health with a steep decline since Christmas.

He is survived by his wife of 36 yrs Norma (McManus) Dean of Brighton, CO; his older brother James G. Dean of Casper, WY; his two daughters Rhonda (Dean) Barrington of Cordes Lakes, AZ and Patricia Wright of Brighton, CO; his two sons Edward Dean of Carson City, NV and Michael Wright of Harrisonville, MO; and 9 grandchildren as well as 5 great-grandchildren; and many cousins and extended family across the country.

Bill retired after 21 years of active military service with the Unites States Air Force as a Master Sgt Paramedic. He served in Viet Nam in 1969 as a helicopter Air-Rescue Medic, upon returning to the States he continued his service still flying helicopter rescue missions from Luke AFB Arizona assisting in several civilian as well as military rescues. Bill served 2 years from 1975-1977 on the Surgeon General (Europe) Facility Inspection Team and managing medical clinics at Ramstein & Sembach AFB's in Germany, returning to Luke AFB and soon after retiring to Lakewood, Colorado (Green Mountain) where he and Norma were married in August of 1978.

Bill then began a second career with the City & County of Denver Health & Hospitals Paramedic Division. He was promoted quickly to Supervisor of two crews of EMT's with C.A.R.E.S. and Denver General Hospital, where he worked for another 21 years and retired yet again. He had 42 years of service to others and he never stopped caring.

Upon his second retirement Bill & Norma moved from Lakewood/Green Mountain to Brighton Colorado in 2000 where they built their dream home. Retirement was spent traveling to visit their elderly parents and siblings in Wyoming and Nevada as well as Grandchildren and their daughter in the Phoenix, AZ area, and generally enjoying life together.

A memorial service with full military honors was held at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Lakewood, Colorado where Bill's ashes were interred on May 20, 2014. Some of his ashes will be scattered in Wyoming at his Brother Jim's ranch north of Sheridan, WY this summer/fall where his parents G. Harvey and Dorothea E. Dean are also scattered.

Bill brought love, laughter and a special light into every life he touched from family to friends, and strangers alike. He will live on in our hearts and memories, forever loved and missed. Wait for us on the other side, we'll be along in time.

The Sheridan Press - June 20, 2014.