Dean, Colleen J

Colleen Jane Dean, 89, resided at our home in Atascocita before she went home to be with the Lord on

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Thursday, October 26, 2017 at 6:30AM

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She was the second child of Ezra L Mick and Halla Beatrice Mick. She began her life in Garber Oklahoma on September 21, 1928.  Her sister, Virginia Lee Mick was three years older.  Ezra worked in the oil fields of Oklahoma and Texas. Much of her childhood was spent “up home” at her grandparents, riding bareback across the northern Oklahoma wheat fields with her cousins, Robert Ezra (RE) and Vernon Leroy.  She lived in oil field camps with her family.  These were like tiny cities of oilfield workers.  They truly enjoyed the atmosphere, camaraderie, and uniqueness of this adventure.    The homes were pleasant and there were families that they got to know and stayed close to the rest of their lives.

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Virginia Lee passed away after a six year struggle with Crohn’s disease.  Her family had gone to the 1934 World’s Fair and she became ill there.  They always thought she had picked an amoeba from the fresh lettuce she ate there.  It was not until Colleen was diagnosed in 1989 with the disease that we realized that her sister must have had this as well because she died of cancer in 1940.  She was beloved by all who knew her and most especially by Colleen.  We all felt like we knew her because of the many stories Mama would tell.

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Colleen moved to Houston with her family and in 1946, while Ezra was working for Hinderliter Tool Co, she met the love of her life, Frank Cary Dean. He was a Marine and was stationed at Camp Pendleton in California.  They were engaged after 3 dates.  A year later they were married in a ceremony at home on April 6, 1947.

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Their early marriage was an exciting time.  Frank went to work at Diamond Alkali in Deer Park TX and they settled down in Baytown and bought their first home on Wright Boulevard.  World War II was over and so many had lost so much, there wasn’t a family that was untouched by this devastation.  They both remembered the explosion in Texas City and although they lived near the Houston ship channel at the time, their windows rattled because of the blast.  Frank and his dad, Oren Rosentha Dean jumped in their car and drove to Texas City to see if they could help with the rescue. These things contributed to their desire to truly enjoy life.  They loved going to Galveston, shopping in the beautiful stores in downtown Houston, eating out at Jimmy Walkers, Monument Inn, Youngbloods Fried Chicken, or the brand new Tastee Freeze because you could stay in the car and the car hop would fill your order! Neighbors and friends came over for card parties, dinner outdoors and they would go fishing or “crabbing” at McCullum Park. Company picnics were common events or spending the day at the spring fed pool and clubhouse the employees at Diamond Alkali had built.  Life was fun and exciting

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They were blessed with two children Russell Cary (Rusty) Dean born December 9, 1950 and Virginia Sue (Ginny) Dean, born September 3 1953.

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Rusty, sadly, passed away at the age of 15 on December 9, 1965.

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It is important to mention my grandmother’s sister, Lillian Beatrice Coe Dennis, my dear Auntie Belle here.  She was the last of 4 children born in my Grandmother’s family, but she was certainly not the least!  She was part of my life for as long as I can remember, a much beloved aunt, probably because she held such a special place in Colleen’s heart.  No

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visit to Oklahoma, holiday or celebration was complete unless she was there. She had one child, my precious cousin, Markeeda Sue Alaqqad, who we always called Suzie!  I always thought that if I has a daughter, I would name her Markeeda, I love that name!  It is difficult to change but I am trying to learn to use her “adult” name, Sue!  She has three sons.  Michael Christopher Moydell (11-9-1970) is loved by all that know him.  Philip Brock King (10-29-76) and his brother Cory Craig King (7-20-79) and all of them are precious treasures.

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Colleen worked at a variety of jobs beginning with Champion Paper Mill in Pasadena.  She learned bookkeeping while working at the franchised jewelry store at the new Baytown K-Mart in 1962 because her supervisor, Mr. Whipple, encouraged her and turned over all bookkeeping responsibilities to her.  She later worked for the Baytown Sun where she proof-read the ads before they went to press and her boss encouraged her to go to work for Southern Warehouse where, although she never saw a customer they were not allowed to wear slacks until 1973 when they were allowed to wear “pant suits” which meant that the slacks and jacket had to be made of the same material and be the same color.  She became a realtor but decided it wasn’t for her because she loved hunting for ways that people could get loans but did not like showing houses.  She went to work at Texas Parks and Wildlife where she issued licenses and answered questions about alligators in people’s yard (stay inside, was her advice!) and birds pecking at peoples roof (she would tell them that, “No, “The Birds” is not a true story. The birds are just looking for insects to eat). Her supervisor there asked Colleen if she would consider doing the bookkeeping for her sisters’ business which was suffering from financial loss and needed a bookkeeper so she took the job offered at Helen’s

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Tea Room in Pasadena.  She soon discovered that the previous bookkeeper had been embezzling large amounts of money from the business.  Obviously, she loved a challenge!  When she was 70 she kept the books for a friend who was a music teacher while she helped homeschool our sons.  Yes, indeed, she loved a challenge!

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 Colleen loved sewing and made most of my clothes sometimes cutting 2 or 3 dresses out at a time them embellishing them differently. She would tackle almost any new craft from ceramics to macramé and she would always choose the most beautiful (and most difficult) project as her first one.  She loved our quilt group and enjoyed making beautiful gifts for those she loved.

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Above and beyond all of these things she loved the Lord.  So many things in her life gave her a desire for a relationship with Jesus.  Finally, she began to understand what Christ had done for her by dying on the cross, what it meant that He had died for her sins and she believed that he was God and Man, incarnate, and that it was only through his redemptive work on the cross that she could be saved and spend eternity in Heaven.  That is our joy and peace, that we can know, without any doubt, that when we die, we will see her and all the others that we have known who have a relationship with Christ when we, too, die and go to heaven.

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Ginny married Geoffrey Wayne Kinison in 1975 and it was a match made in heaven and they have celebrated 42 years of marriage. He loved Colleen and Frank as if they were his parents and cared for them lovingly until the end of their lives.  Geoffrey could and do everything for them that Ginny could do.  People were always amazed to learn that he was her son-in-law so eventually she would say that he was more

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like a son to her than a son-in-law.  He filled a very special place in her heart and that was an incredible blessing to her.  She would tell him that although the pain of losing Rusty was always there; her relationship with him was like a healing salve on her heart!

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What an incredible blessing!  

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She was blessed with four grandsons:

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Richard Wayne Kinison, born 4-12-1978, his wife-Casey Kinison, and her grandson-Matthew Wayne Kinison, born 11-6-2013

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David Ezra Kinison, born 1-29-1982, his wife-Ashley Toi Starks Kinison

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Philip Alan Kinison, born 3-16-1984

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William Cary Kinison, born 3-13-1989

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Colleen loved each of her grandsons passionately.  The boys loved nothing better than to go down the street to Memow and Pepow’s house at the end of their day.  They loved all of the boys and included them in their life every day.  They encouraged and supported their endeavors.  They did everything that you could possible desire for grandparents to do, and then they did so much more! 

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Colleen began teaching them math in our third year of homeschooling, when Richard was in 6th grade and continued with each of them until they completed Calculus.  She “retired” when William started going to Northeast Christian Academy when he was in the 11th grade.  She saw each of them graduate 3 of them went on to graduate from college.

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To sum up her life would be to say that she had a passion for people and a desire to see those she loved spend eternity in Heaven,

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rejoicing with Jesus!