Dennis "Bo" Dean

Dennis “Bo” Dean

June 20, 1946 - July 25, 2022

Dennis “Bo” Dean was born June 20, 1946 in Sacramento, CA and passed away peacefully on July 25, 2022 in Orange County, CA. He grew up in Sandy, Utah and after working many years in the western United States, settled down in Orange County, CA. 

Bo was enlisted in the Army from 1966-1969, proudly serving his country during the Vietnam War, receiving an honorable discharge. His experiences during the war and his return home had an enduring effect on him.

Upon completion of his military service, he worked at the Salt Lake City Municipal Airport as an Air Traffic Controller. Bo left that position and began working as a carpenter and welder, joined the Carpenters’ Union, then continued working in the trades as a pile driver, doing both pile driving and shoring. He spent more than 40 years as a certified welder and pile driver, retiring as a foreman after having worked a few years for Calumet and the bulk of his pile driving career with Foundation Pile.  

Those who knew Bo well are familiar with his unmistakable laugh and the mischievous glint in his eye when he was planning one of his pranks, both on the job and in his personal life. He will be remembered for his quick wit and willingness to speak his mind, whether you liked it or not. He loved a good debate and always wanted to get that last little zinger in before walking away. Other words that one would use to describe him include caring, generous, dependable, family man, friend, resilient, strength, fortitude, and a jack of all trades to name a few.

Bo took his father’s advice to heart, “No matter what you do, do it well. If you’re going to be a ditch digger, be the best ditch digger there is.” He was both a mentor and friend to many. 

Bo and Cindy met and were together for over 33 happy years and considered as married before officially tying the knot. Bo had two children from a previous marriage, a son Jason, and a daughter Terri. He welcomed Cindy’s family as his own and became father to her two daughters, Deidre, and Brittany.  

He enjoyed scuba diving with Cindy, reading and spending time with his family. Many weekends and holidays were spent at soccer fields, softball fields, track meets, motocross tracks, and little league. In fact, he was quite popular at the soccer fields because the other dads knew he’d have cold beer to share. He loved camping, hunting, and fishing trips and looked forward to many more days of fishing after his retirement, often talking about wanting to take his “little buddies” (his grandsons Chace and Brock) fishing.   

He was a fierce defender of constitutional rights and very protective of both his family and close friends. Bo was a patriot, had strong opinions about our 2nd Amendment rights, and believed in unions for the benefits they provided to the workers.

Bo is survived by his wife Cindy, his son Jason, his daughters Terri, Deidre, and Brittany (Justin), three grandsons Kolton, Chace and Brock, and his sister Michael. He is preceded in death by his father Doss, mother Grace, brother Mark, and brother-in-law John Couch. 

The family would like to express their deepest gratitude for all those on 3E “Beast” at Hoag Hospital for going above and beyond to provide exceptional care to Bo and comfort to the family during his time there. We would also like to thank the physicians who were part of his care team.

A Celebration of Life for Bo will be held on Saturday, August 13, 2022 at 10am, at Heritage-Dilday Memorial Services, at 17911 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach, CA 92647. Friends and family are invited for a visitation one hour prior to services. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in his honor to the MDS Foundation Memory Wall at www.mds-foundation.org/memory-wall/ 

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