Raymond Duane Dean, Jr., 69, of Artesian, died Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016, at his home. Funeral services were at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 24, at St. Charles Catholic Church in Artesian. Burial was in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Artesian. Visitation was from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23, at the Will Funeral Chapel with a 7 p.m. prayer service.
Raymond Duane Dean Jr, son of Raymond and Margaret (Clark) Dean, was born Aug. 10, 1947 in Mitchell.  He attended Diana Country School and graduated from Artesian High School in 1965. After high school, Junior worked with his uncle in the construction industry in Illinois.
Junior married Jerolyn K. Tysdal on Nov. 4, 1967, in Artesian. They settled on the farm near Artesian.  He worked for the Artesian Honey Producers and farmed until health issues forced him into retirement.
Junior was an active member of the First Lutheran Church in Artesian. He served on the Afton Township Board for many years. Junior was a hardworking man and did not hesitate to tackle a difficult task. He enjoyed life on the farm and spending time with family and friends.  Junior loved being a husband, father, grandfather and hunting/fishing with his sons and grandkids. He was an avid supporter of his grandkids’ activities.  Junior and Jerolyn enjoyed traveling, and Junior’s passing leaves behind many unfinished plans.
Grateful for having shared in his life are his wife, Jerolyn; three sons, Richard (Jennie) and Russell (Carmin), both of Brandon, and Ryan (Paula) of Sioux Falls; four grandchildren; four step-grandchildren and one step-great-grandchild.
He is survived by three brothers, Marion (Deanna)  of Artesian, Henry (Mary)  of Brandon and William (Connie) of South Carolina; six sisters, Eleanor Dean of South Carolina, Ruth Nelson of Colorado, Audrey (Barry) Schmelzer of Illinois, Margie (Mario) Mercado of Germany, Katie (Dave) Galbraith of Iowa, and Deb Doonan of Mississippi; a brother-in-law, Mick McGraw of Arizona; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters and brothers-in-law, Arlene (Wilmer) Schoenfelder, Deanna (Tenis) Snyder, Betty McGraw and Jon Nelson.