- Date Of Birth: July 8, 1947
- Date Of Death: February 5, 2018
- State: Illinois
Dean H. Hess, 70, of rural Jacksonville, IL died Monday, February 5, 2018, at Passavant Hospital in Jacksonville.
He was born July 8, 1947 in Jacksonville, the son of Howard J. and Eleanor H. Hess. He married Emily L. Kircher on November 25, 1971 in Concord and she survives.
He is also survived by three children, Michael Hess (wife, Jennifer) of Naperville, Rebecca Leahr (husband, Kevin) of rural Jacksonville, and Sarah Hill (husband, Stephen) of Las Vegas, NV; six grandchildren, Oliver and Emerson Hess, Jacob Leahr, and Elizabeth, Hannah, and Luke Hill; a sister, Barbara Hess of Mattoon; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Kenneth W. Hess (surviving wife, Lorraine of Scottsdale, AZ).
A 1965 graduate of Jacksonville High School, Dean received a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University and was doing graduate studies at Southern Illinois University when he was drafted. He served with the US Army from 1969 to 1971, based in Germany.
Dean returned to the area to begin a long and distinguished career in grain and livestock farming in Morgan County. He was a former member of the Cass-Morgan Farm Bureau Board of Directors and recently retired from the Prairieland FS Board of Directors following over 30 years of service.
Since 1982, he served as a director for Chapin State Bank and, more recently, served as a director for Jacksonville Savings Bank. He also served as vice president of the Ebenezer Cemetery Association.
Dean enjoyed discussing and following stock market trends, reading, travel, and fixing things that most thought were not repairable. He had a passion for life-long learning, sharing his knowledge, and exposing his grandchildren to farming.
