Dean Don Hess

Dean Don Hess loved his family, his computers, and his dogs.  Born and raised in Lebanon PA, he went to college for Astronomy, then channeled his love of science and technology into a career in coding.  He was always willing to expand his family, opening his home to adoptive children with his wife, Maryann Roth.  He spent hours driving his children to spend time with their biological families, and always stopped to buy them a giant cookie on the turnpike halfway there.  

Dean met his wife, Maryann, while working for her brother’s technology company.  He was loyal and kind, and he loved having children and later grandchildren come to visit.  He also loved visiting with his sister, nephew, and nieces, reminiscing about his childhood in Lebanon and enjoying his favorite local treat, donuts from a little shop back home.  After retirement, he and his wife spent their evenings playing video games together, often exploring the virtual lands of Middle Earth.   

Dean never met a rescue dog that he didn’t bring home and keep.  Once, he saw a man mistreating a dog, immediately pulled his wallet out of his pocket, and paid the man to give him the dog.  That dog lived seventeen happy years with her new family.  Whenever his wife asked him if they could bring another dog home, Dean would say, “I think there’s room for one more.”

Dean was a lifelong nerd.  He spent hours playing classic computer games with his children, helping them with math homework, and showing them how to take computers apart and put them back together. He spoke fondly of hours spent at computer-builder expos and loved to page through the technology books at any bookstore he saw.  He could point out constellations on a clear night, and the cpu inside a tower computer case.  He loved to read the Hobbit aloud to his children. 

Dean will be missed but fondly remembered by his nine children, his sister Debra, his extended family, and his wife, Maryann.