Dean Rosebery

Dean A. Rosebery

Dean A. Rosebery passed away February 1, 2014 and will be greatly missed by all those who were lucky enough to know him.

Dean was the son of Dalton and Chloe Rosebery, and the brother of Clair who preceded him in death. Dean is survived by his wife of 70 years, Amy (Ayres) Rosebery; a son, Frank Rosebery and wife Wanda, of Huntsville, Alabama; a daughter, Margaret McKinney and husband Robert of Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is also survived by grandchildren: Kristin Rosebery, Jay Rosebery and wife Ginny, Veronica McKinney and Trey McKinney, as well as two great-grandsons Jack and Luc Rosebery.

Dean graduated from Kirksville High School and Northeast Missouri Teachers College. He married Amy Ayres of Atlanta Missouri in Miami, Florida March 13, 1943 at White Temple Methodist Church. During WWII Dean served as a LT in the US Navy on convoy duty in the North Atlantic. Following Navy service he earned a PhD in Zoology from Virginia Tech.

Dean served as the assistant chief of the Fish Division of the Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries. In 1952 Dr. Ryle invited Dean to accept a position at Northeast Missouri State Teachers College.

In 1957 Dean started a program to improve High School Science teaching. Over the years he requested and obtained funding through the National Science Foundation to provide further education for high school science teachers.

Dean was a member of The First United Methodist Church, the Rotary Club of Kirksville and a life member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; National Geographic Society and the National Fisheries Society. Dean served as the head of the Division of Science from 1960 until 1985 at Northeast Missouri State Teachers College (now Truman State University). Dean retired from the University in 1985 as Professor of Science Emeritus and Division Head Emeritus of Division of Science.

Dean was a lover of all life had to offer. He enjoyed flying and fishing and entered retirement with the same robust enthusiasm he always displayed in his professional life. Shortly after he retired, Dean would say that he didn’t realize how he ever had time for work, as he was now fully employed in retirement.

A gifted horseman, Dean learned to train horses including a high-spirited Arabian. Dean took up downhill skiing with his daughter’s Colorado family, at the age of 70. He became an accomplished skier and enjoyed the sport for over 12 years. Also during this period Dean went scuba diving with his son and his son’s family on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

In addition to running two family farms, volunteering in many community events and charities, and getting involved in some fairly extreme hobbies Dean also took Amy on many trips throughout the U.S. and abroad. Dean and Amy visited their children often and were lovingly involved grandparents, and eventually great-grandparents.

It is simply impossible to have lived a fuller, richer, more rewarding and satisfying life than Dean A. Rosebery did and we will miss him. The loss of Dean’s spark will dim the world.

Funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday (February 6, 2014) at First United Methodist Church with Reverend Richard Northcutt officiating. Burial will be in LaPlata Cemetery.

Visitation with the family will be from 1:00 until 2:00 p.m. Thursday at the First United Methodist Church.

Memorials are suggested to the First United Methodist Church.