May 21, 1931 - April 14, 2023
Dean was born in Jasper, MN on May 21, 1931 to Axel and Hilda (Holter) Amdahl.
He was raised in a loving family with his three siblings, Glen Amdahl, Carol (Foss) Amdahl, and Wayne Amdahl. He was baptized at Bethania Lutheran Church in Jasper as well as attending school in Jasper, MN.
Dean joined the Navy in 1951 and was in the Seabees Construction Division. He was stationed in the Philippines and the Marshall Islands during most of his stay until his discharge in 1955. After his discharge from the Navy, he married Julia DeJong in 1955. They had met on a blind date and were then married for the next 67 years.
Dean and Julia resided on the farm outside of Jasper while starting to raise their three children. They later moved to Dell Rapids, South Dakota where he established his business of Amdahl Van Helden Construction and later Dean's Cabinetry. He was an active member of the Dell Rapids Lutheran Church, involved with the American Legion, and was involved in the Dell Rapids City Council for a time.
In 1979 Dean and Julia packed up and moved to Loveland, Colorado where he became a member of Mount Olive Lutheran Church. He continued to work in construction with RC Parrish in Boulder, Colorado and then at Uncle Benny's in Loveland where he continued to work on his own projects and side jobs throughout his retirement. Dean was very well known for his excellent handiwork throughout his working life. He finally had to hang up his hammer when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Dementia.
In-between his working on his wood projects, he loved to go camping; from going with the scouts and with his family in the earlier days, (which included the building of his first camper) and into traveling with several different RV's, campers, and bus tours exploring the country.
Dean was a hard-working and a very compassionate man. He was a loving husband and father, and he and that dry humor of his will surely be missed.
Dean was proceeded in death by his brothers Glen Amdahl and Wayne Amdahl.
He is survived by his wife Julia (DeJong) Amdahl, his sons Alan (Chris) Amdahl, Gerald Amdahl, and daughter Karen (Watters) Amdahl, and his sister Carol (Darrell) Foss, seven grandchildren, six great grandchildren, and multiple nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Friday, April 21, 2023 at Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Loveland. Visitation will take place at the church, prior to the service. Interment Resthaven Memory Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer's Association of Northern Colorado in care of Kibbey-Fishburn Funeral Home.
