Robert john Dean

Robert john Dean – age 93 and a longtime resident of Tampa, Florida passed away on Wednesday October 12, 2022. Robert was born on April 6,1929 in Des Moines, Iowa. He is preceded in death by his mother and father, Pauline Orletta Seufer and Harvey Claude Dean. He was the second of four siblings, Harvey Arthur (deceased) Mary Louise (deceased) and Donald LeRoy. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Katherine “Kate” Over, three daughters, Marinell Katherine Chable (James), Ann Lee Dean-Vautrin, and Katherine Frances Dean along with two granddaughters, Brittany Katherine Vautrin Bennett (Chad), Tiffany Frances Vautrin Mikkelsen (Chase) and 2 great grandchildren, Reece Charlie Bennett and Creek Renee Mikkelsen.

Robert graduated from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts School of Interior Design and apprenticed with the studio of Richard Plummer in Miami, Florida prior to being inducted into Military Service. He served four years as a Navy Hospital Corpsman at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Yokosuka Japan during the Korean War and then moved to Gainesville, Florida to attend the University of Florida. While at the University of Florida he was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity, the Gargoyle Society, and graduated cum laude, with a degree in Interior Design from the College of Architecture and Allied Arts.

Robert worked for Paul T Ward Interior Designers and later joined with two former classmates to form Dean, Redman, & Parks Interior Design Firm in two run-down warehouses on Whiting Street in downtown Tampa. In 1987 the firm was named the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year.

Robert john served as National President of the American Society of Interior Designers, President of Florida Chapter of ASID and Southeastern Regional Vice President of ASID. He was awarded the title of Fellow of the American Society of Interior Designers and received a Distinguished Alumni award from the College of the University of Florida.

Robert was proud of his contributions as one of the founding members of the Gasparilla Sidewalk Art Festival, his work with the Tampa Museum of Art, and first Chairman of Hillsborough County Art in Public Places. He was a member of the University Club, past member of the Tampa Yacht Club and of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.

Robert never slowed down. After the closing of Dean, Redman & Parks, Inc., he formed his own firm as Robert john Dean, Inc. and then joined forces with Roger Clarence Duffala, to become john clarence design. Robert’s design work has been published in numerous national and local magazines.

As we prepared his services and this obituary, we stumbled across a quote by an unknown source that perfectly describes Robert john’s outlook on life. “Every day I found on earth, was a day too short for all the thoughts I wanted to think, all the walks I wanted to take, all the books I wanted to read, and all the friends I wanted to see.” The family asks that any memorials be made to Meals on Wheels Tampa https://mowtampa.org/donate/new-donations/ or Feeding Tampa Bay https://feedingtampabay.org/donate/