Dean Owen Grubbs

Dean Grubbs was a man whose steadfast and compassionate character was well recognized and appreciated by all who had the pleasure to know him, whether as long-term friends or as brand-new acquaintances. The qualities of being just and fair were driving forces in Dean’s life. Those who knew him well can also appreciate a balance among many contrasting attributes in his character: intellectual but also deeply compassionate, staid but always with a ready sense of humour, conservative but without ever losing his curiosity, reserved but always remaining warm-hearted.

Dean was born in St. Louis Missouri on January 12, 1933 in the home of his parents Willard and Isabelle Grubbs at 2204 Burns Avenue, which he recalled as a two-room house on what was then a dirt road. This was during the Great Depression, but Dean said they never felt poor. In fact, apart from the crowded quarters and need for sufficient thrift to feed 6 sons and a daughter, the family’s life was rich in nearly every other way. During his childhood Dean was filled with curiosity, and this natural curiosity was an asset while he was in school where he relished the task of scrutinizing problems, pondering their solutions and solving them. This remained true throughout his life. He graduated from Ritenour High School in 1951, where Dean and his brothers are still revered as the founding family of the Ritenour High School wrestling program, and for their record-setting 14-year state championship run (1948 – 1961). The Grubbs family was inducted in 2007 into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

The same qualities that were assets for Dean in high school later built toward his successes in college. Dean was an analytical and independent thinker, qualities that allowed him to excel in his scholarly pursuits. He attended Purdue University (1951- 1952) and Washington University (1961 - 1962) where he earned his certification in Electrical Engineering. Given his studious nature, those who didn’t know Dean well might have thought him to be rather objective and emotionally detached, but family and friends who were close to him knew that he was capable of brilliant flashes of humor. Dean’s good friends tended to be witty, and “thinkers” like himself, and it was a strong and loyal group.

While growing up, some of his best friends were his cousins, many of them "double cousins" (since two sisters, Isabelle and Lauretta Ray, had married two brothers, Willard and Burgess Grubbs). Later in life, he became close friends with his work colleague Rich Lawson with whom he spent many evenings building mini rockets and peering through telescopes during the early days of the 1960’s space program. In the 1970's he became a member of Community Christian Church, where he formed strong friendships over the years with Leon Whitney and Norman Pereira. Many spirited conversations, bible discussions and lively debate ensued at Uncle Bill's Pancake House with the obligatory coffee in hand. In these exchanges Dean was known for always being up front and open, and never hiding his true feelings, qualities that drew deep loyalty from his friends.

The same attributes of loyalty and honesty that Dean shared with his friends carried over to other aspects of his life, including his relationships with his family. On October 13, 1956, Dean exchanged wedding vows with Virginia Schubert at the Christy Memorial Methodist Church in St. Louis Missouri. The marriage stood the test of time, and the couple would have celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary in 2022. Dean was always a great listener, and a capable partner and provider with a strong sense of commitment to his wife and children. As the family grew, Dean was easily able to adapt to the changes and challenges of parenthood. Together Dean and Virginia raised three children including one son Dwayne and two daughters Christie and Robynne. They were also blessed with four grandchildren, Justin, Alexa, Brandon and Brianna.

Dean was a wonderful provider for his family due not only to his dedication and strength of character, but also due to his professional successes. In his work as an Electrical Engineer, Dean was the kind of person who had no difficulty in taking on a project and seeing it through to completion. He had incredible stamina and excelled at dealing with detail. Dean got his start in the working world as an apprentice carpenter for his father's construction company where he was trained alongside several of his brothers. Upon graduation from high school in 1951 and completion of his drafting coursework at Purdue, he took a job as a draftsman, first at Alvey Conveyor Company (1952 - 1962) and then at Missouri Research Labs (1962-1967). With an additional year of training in Electrical Engineering at Washington University, he then went on to complete an impressive 25+ years at Hunter Engineering where he also hired and trained several rising stars in his field.

Upon retiring from Hunter Engineering, Dean’s always inquisitive nature drove him to explore new avenues of interest, and he discovered a surprisingly strong appreciation of poetry. He was actively involved with the St. Louis Poetry Club where he helped to organize monthly readings and discussion groups. He also became active with Genesis House, a group that ran a coffee house with poetry events and served as a gathering place and mission for the Christian Community in St. Louis City. Dean counted his work with Genesis House among the most meaningful chapters in his life as it gave him a chance to learn about the perspectives of people from many different backgrounds and to grow in his faith, all while simultaneously exploring his newfound love of poetry and verse.

—In that spirit, a verse is offered here that he held dear and carried on a keychain in his pocket—

God, give me grace to accept with serenity

the things that cannot be changed,

Courage to change the things

which should be changed,

and the Wisdom to distinguish

the one from the other.

— Dean will be dearly missed. May he rest in Peace. —