Eleanor Mae Dean, 92

Eleanor was born on October 11, 1932, in Mitchell, NE, the daughter of William and Elizabeth (Ball) Decker, and was the youngest of eight children. She grew up in the Bridgeport area, attended different country schools as a child and finished her education at Bridgeport High School. On July 4, 1949, she married Harry “Barney” Dean and they began their 72 years of married life on a farm northeast of Bridgeport.

To this union three sons were born: Bill (1950) Mick (1954) and Monte (1958).

While living on the farm and raising rambunctious boys, Eleanor worked at various town jobs over the years to supplement their farm income, finally becoming quite known as the Bridgeport NAPA Lady. She also wrote a little neighborhood column titled “Rocky Ridge News” for the local newspaper and was a 4-H leader for many years. Eleanor was an avid seamstress, enjoyed playing bridge and doing crossword puzzles. She loved her flowers (especially the pink blooms), garden tomatoes, sweet corn, fresh cream and chocolate cake. Eleanor always appreciated the close friends she had through her extension club years and was consistently pleased to serve as a poll worker on election day. She was a strong supporter of NE football and an even more passionate, enthusiastic fan of the Bridgeport Bulldogs (a daughter- in-law said she bled purple and gold). Eleanor enjoyed music, liked to sing and just recently, the family learned she was quite a whistler.

Eleanor was a lifelong Baptist. Her church family was very important to her. She belonged to Friendship Circle and could be found feeding, praying, serving, cleaning, laughing...and laughing some more. She was a Sunday school teacher and later led an adult Bible study class, while holding other positions in her church. Eleanor was a true prayer warrior. She was a strong woman who never lost her faith in the Lord. Her family home was destroyed by fire when she was a small child, her mother died when she was 12 and in 1994, a tornado completely demolished the farmstead she and Barney had lived on and cherished for 45 years. Afterwards, she always just referred to it as “the big wind.” Retiring and moving to town was a big adjustment, but she never looked back. Even when her best friend, her husband, died in 2021, her faith never left.

Eleanor’s first love was her Lord Jesus Christ and then her beloved Barney, three sons and their families.

Eleanor is survived by her sons Bill (Patti) and Mick (Sandy) of Bridgeport, and Monte (Tammy) of Broadwater; grandchildren: Brandi (Scott) Linders, Brooke (Brad) Gates, Melanie (Rob) Dean,Tiffany Lawonn, Jerod (Kelly) Dean, Jacob (Nicole) Dean, Joshua (Whitney) Dean, and Jase (Amber) Dean; 15 great-grandchildren; special nephews Jim Vassos,Tom (Sheila) Vassos; numerous other nephews, nieces and their children all of whom she dearly loved.

Her husband Barney, seven siblings, great-grandson Greysen Dean, and niece Marilyn Vassos preceded her in death.