Leslie "Bill" L. Dean

Leslie L. “Bill” Dean, 100, of Twin Falls, Idaho, passed away on August 29, 2019 in Twin Falls. Bill was the first child of Leslie V. Dean and Ruby Kunkel Dean, born on February 4, 1919 in the “new” maternity ward of Twin Falls County Hospital in Twin Falls. Bill grew up on the Salmon Tract at Amsterdam, Idaho, along with his brother Lee and many cousins. After graduating from Hollister High School in 1937, he attended the College of Idaho in Caldwell. There, Bill married Lyla Billings in 1941. Together they had 4 daughters, Patricia, Dorothy, Laurie Sue and Elizabeth.  Bill enrolled in the University of Idaho Agricultural program at Moscow, Idaho.  As WWII began, Bill joined the Idaho Guard. He continued his classes at U of I and after graduation, enlisted in the United States Navy, active duty. He was sent to Great Lakes Naval Station at Lafayette, Indiana and trained as a lab technician. After passing the exam, at the top of his class, he was given his choice of assignments. He chose Camp Pendleton with the US Marine Corps. Rather than being shipped out as expected, he was placed on duty in the medical lab at Santa Margarita Ranch Hospital. He worked very diligently to save lives and help the sick and wounded who came into the hospital there. In February 1946 after the war, he was anxious to return to Moscow and resume his job with the U of I. After obtaining his Masters’ Degree there, he was granted a full ride scholarship from Beechnut Corporation for a PhD. He attended Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana and received his doctorate in June 1951. Once again he returned to the University of Idaho. He was given the position of running the Twin Falls Plant Pathology program for U of I.  He later married Doris Hollis, who passed away in February 2009, after 54 years of marriage. They had 3 children; 2 sons and a daughter. Bill had direct involvement in the cross breeding and development of several bean varieties, many of which are still marketed today. He retired from the U of I in March 1975 with the status of Professor Emeritus. Bill loved to hunt and fish and was also an avid rock hound. In the late 1950s and into the early 1960s, Bill and his dad ran “Dad’s Rock Shop”. They made and sold jewelry and loose stones, with the shop on the front porch of the house.   Summer vacations usually included a visit somewhere to inspect bean fields, but there were many weekend outings as well. He instilled in his children a joy of fishing and rock hunting and the beauty in all nature. Many picnics were to be had in the South Hills. In the late Summer, the last adventure of the season was a visit to the Oregon coast. He rarely missed a hunting season with his buddies. When his children were old enough, they were included in the hunting expeditions if they wanted to go. Bill was a member of the Church of the Ascension for many years and served on the vestry. Bill was also a member of Toastmasters International for several years and was active in the Masonic Lodge #71 in Hollister. After his retirement from the U of I, Bill opened his own business, Idaho Seed Bean, Co., Inc. south of Twin Falls. He was joined by some of his daughters who worked in the greenhouse and fields with him. He was also joined in the business by his son John, who continues to manage the business. Bill was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Governor of Idaho in 2009 for his contributions to the bean production and help in shaping laws concerning seed industry. He inspected his fields himself until the summer he was 96. The business is being continued by his son John. Bill was preceded in death by his sister Dorothy, his brother Lee, his parents, his granddaughter Sarah Dean, grandson Mike Slagowski and also his wife Doris Hollis Dean. He is survived by his seven children: Patricia A. Dean (Jon Chapman) of Twin Falls; Dorothy (Kem) McMaster of Vancouver, WA; Elizabeth Dean (Richard Brawner), of Salem, OR; Laurie S. (Eric) Evans of Twin Falls, ID; John (Becky) Dean of Buhl, ID; Holly (Ralph) Homan, of Weiser, ID; and Truman C. Dean of Las Cruces, NM. He is also survived by numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by all of his family. We would like to thank the caring staff at Syringa Place and also Idaho Home Health and Hospice for the loving care they gave our father. There will be a visitation on Thursday evening, September 5th from 5 to 7 PM. Services will be held on Friday, September 6, 2019 at 11:00 AM at Parke’s Funeral Chapel in Twin Falls. The family suggests in lieu of flowers, donations be made to Shriner’s Children’s Hospital or a charity of their choice.