Dean H. Schennum Obituary (1937

Once upon a time when the world was young, chug-a-rum chug-a-rum, Dean, of Bremerton, WA, was born in Minneapolis, MN on March 23, 1937 to Harold and Gladys (Westby) Schennum, and that made all the difference. Dean's memory will live on with his loving wife, Jan; sons, Steve (Sofia) and Scott (Tammy); daughters, Kris Cromwell (Steve) and Jody Morehouse (Steve); brother, Gerry (Pat); grandchildren, Natalie Schennum, Casie Schennum, Ezra Schennum, Riley Cromwell, Shea Cromwell, Brianna Schennum, Zachary Schennum, Aylish Morehouse, Tegan Morehouse, Rowyn Morehouse, and Christian Hartwig; and great-grandchildren, Zoey, Parker, and Jade. He is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Karen Rovente. Dean started and finished life with a drive for adventure. His best childhood memories involved spending time with his dad fishing, bird hunting, and riding with him in his work truck. He became an Eagle Scout. He was legally blind in one eye (lazy eye) but that never slowed him down, except when he removed his glasses before getting into a fight for fear his mom would kill him if he broke them. In high school and college, Dean put his energy into performing in plays, playing the trombone, and wrestling. Dean formed lifelong friendships during these years at Willmar High School and Concordia College. He found the love of his life at Concordia when he met Janet on campus. He sought work in the summers by hitchhiking to places like Arizona for firefighting, Seattle for construction work, and Alaska as well. Dean graduated with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Zoology and Chemistry and then went on to study civil engineering, none of which he ever put to use. Instead, he packed up and moved his young family to Billings, Montana to sell electronics. He made a point of telling young people he mentored that it doesn't matter so much what you pick in college or life. Just pick, because you must always have a goal, and the most important thing is to move forward with purpose. He believed the action of doing would bring about new opportunities as well as be its own reward. Dean loathed inaction and idleness. He pursued self-improvement throughout his life. He built his electronics business into a chain of stores across Montana and Idaho called Team Electronics and then Sound World. He sold his stores in the 1970s and went on to start a career in finance, investments, and insurance that lasted the rest of his life. He never really had a formal retirement and didn't officially stop working until after becoming ill. Dean was a performer and a perpetual kid. He rarely missed an opportunity to act silly by posing dramatically for a photo or dance a goofy jig with his kids or grandkids. He gave people affectionate silly nicknames like Mixie Pie, Boopy, Nee Wee, Ol Slopjar, or Krunch Kake. Dean was a rule bender. Rules? Dean had respect for others so he never hurt anybody or anything, but he always gave those rules a good assessment before strictly following them. He was by nature a confident, adventurous risk taker. He thought he could do anything....which he pretty much could....and thought anyone else could, too! He was never afraid to try new things and reveled in getting others to go along with him. Friendships formed as naturally as breathing for Dean. Deep, lasting friendships formed around his activities like golfing, hunting, Rotary Club, working, horses, and mentoring. People were drawn to him. He shared so openly his love, his family, his heart, his emotions, his wisdom, his guidance, and his steadfast belief in others. But what Dean loved most in life was his family. He loved Jan more with every one of the 56 years that they shared together. Jan and he took special care of each other with complimenting roles. He adored his 4 children and 10 grandkids. He relished the family gatherings, the laughter, the songs, the projects, the Cheetos, the Budlight, and the sharing of stories. He wanted nothing more than for his kids to be true to themselves, leave no regrets, live with integrity and purpose, become love, live the moment, and give more than you take. Please join our family to remember a great man, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather on Saturday, May 28th at 11am at Lewis Funeral Chapel in Bremerton. Memorial donations in Dean's name can be made to the Special Olympics, http://www.donate.specialolympics.org or to the Bremerton Rotary Foundation Endowment Fund, http//www.bremertonrotary.org Dean - Dad - Grampa - We are loving you and missing you to pieces!