Dean Ross Park's Obituary
Dean Ross Park passed away on October 14, 2025. He was born January 21,1931 in Stuart, OK to Lowell and Jewell (Carr) Park. He spent most of his growing up years in Red Oak, Oklahoma. He graduated from Red Oak High School in 1948. In December that year, Dean graduated from Telegraphy School and went to work for the Santa Fe Railroad in Colorado. In 1950, he joined the Air Force and served during the Korean Conflict. He was stationed on a radar site at Mt. Tamalpais in California. He spent his last year of service as a Staff Sergeant in Okinawa, Japan. In 1954, he received an honorable discharge with the rank of Staff Sergeant. He went straight on to college at Northeastern State College in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He graduated in 1957, with a B.S. in Business. After college, he moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he worked most of his life with a career as an accountant for Amoco. He met his wife, Shirley Harris, while attending First Baptist Church in Tulsa and soon after they married. They raised their two daughters in Tulsa and were both active in serving their church and community. In 2005, they moved to Rogers, Arkansas and joined the First Baptist Church, Rogers where they were active members until the Lord called them home. Dean was a man of varied interests and talents, but was very skilled in the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and construction fields. He also enjoyed bowling, playing harmonica, astronomy, and photography. Dean excelled at inventing gadgets and over his life built many including, 3 large telescopes. The first one he made was while stationed in Okinawa when he was 22. It had a 6” mirror that he actually ground by himself and took great pride in it. He wrote his autobiography, along with co-writing several books of genealogy with his wife, who also helped with the research. He was a member of the Parke Society, Astronomy Club of Tulsa, Tulsa Genealogical Society, and the American Legion. Most of all, Dean loved the Lord, his family, and his church and served all of them faithfully throughout his life. He was a deacon, as well as teaching junior high boys in Sunday School. He even bought a station wagon, early in his marriage, to drive many of them to church each week. For many years, he took care of the audio/visual needs of the church along with his friend, Ed. He would also faithfully accompany Shirley on her rounds to visit people who were home bound, new parents, as well as international students learning English. He was generous with his time and money, and he loved his family well. His greatest legacy to his children is his footprint of faith in God and his life well-lived. Dean and Shirley will be greatly missed. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Shirley (Harris) Park of Rogers, Arkansas; and his brother, Dale Park of Mineola, Texas. He is survived by his daughters, Deann Thompson of Lowell, Arkansas and Sharon Maxey (Jerry) of Rogers, Arkansas; 7 grandchildren; and 12 great grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to First Baptist Church of Rogers – building fund. https://FBCRogers.org
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