Dean Wilkins

Kermit Dean Wilkins of Holyoke died Aug. 8, 2020, in Holyoke. He was born Oct. 2, 1936, to Henry and Estella McMilin Wilkins in St. Clair County, Missouri, the youngest of 11 children. After the death of his mother, he and his sister Wilma Jean moved to Filer, Idaho, to live with their sister Pearl and her husband Milford Nelsen.

Dean graduated from Filer High School in 1953. He worked at Asgrow Research Center in Filer during summer breaks from both high school and college.

Dean attended seminary school in Chicago, Illinois, and was ordained as a minister. Taking his education in a different direction, Dean attended William Jewell College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1960 with a triple major in Spanish, French and secondary education. He attended the University of Washington and in 1963 earned a Master of Arts in romance linguistics and French literature. He earned a second M.A. from the University of Southern California in 1970 in general and theoretical linguistics.

Dean enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1963 and was stationed in England and Columbia, at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio and the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and did a tour of duty in Vietnam.

Dean was an education and training staff officer at the Air Force Academy and served as an imagery intel officer and an air intelligence officer during his other assignments.

During his time in the Air Force, Dean was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with two service stars, Air Force Longevity Service Award Ribbon with four oak leaf clusters, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, Republic of Vietnam Staff Service Honor Medal and Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with palm.

Major Dean Wilkins retired from the Air Force in 1984.

He moved to Washington, D.C., to work for the Department of the Navy, traveling to the Philippines and other Far East countries as part of his duties.

Upon his retirement from the DON, Dean moved to Carbondale to be near his favorite outdoor activity. He was an avid skier, hitting the slopes with good friends every chance he had. Dean also enjoyed running and bicycling in the area surrounding Carbondale.

Meeting Gregg Wailes and the desire to purchase land and build his dream home sent Dean to the High Plains surrounding Holyoke.

Dean is survived by his partner of 20 years, Gregg Wailes, and his best friend, Rufus the Airedale. He is also survived by his sister, Wilma Jean Lancaster, and sisters-in-law, Betty Wilkins and Helen Wilkins, all of Twin Falls, Idaho.

Dean was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, William, Albert, Henry, James, Charles “Dutch” and Curtis; and sisters, Mary Eslinger, Kay O’Donnell and Pearl Nelsen.

Uncle Dean was in frequent contact with many of his nieces and nephews and traveled to Idaho to attend family reunions. He made it a point to attend the Nelsen family holiday party each December.

Dean had many friends and was continuously in contact with them over the years. He was a sincere, good friend himself and enjoyed entertaining his friends and looked forward to reunions and gatherings. He was known as “Uncle Dean” to many of his friends’ kids. One of his best long-time friends was Jamie Dicks of Dillon, who was like a brother to him and assisted Gregg after Dean’s death.

Dean was an intelligent, witty and loving person. He liked puns and good jokes. He was an excellent cook and loved good food and wine, both fancy and plain. He loved USC Trojan football and was a Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies fan.

He had a deep appreciation of the arts, starting with his participation in plays in high school and college. Another passion was politics. He was very plugged in to regional and national politics and cared deeply about the direction in which the country was headed.

What a life! Dean still had a lot of living to do, a lot to contribute, and will be sorely missed by Gregg, family and friends.

Dean will be interred at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. A memorial service in his honor will be held at a later date.