Jesse L. Dean was born on September 30, 1940 in his hometown of Fresno, California. He was the son of Henry and Lorraine Dean. Jesse was raised with four siblings. He had three brothers, Frank L., Raymond E., and Henry S. as well as sister, Erma D. Jesse was usually involved in all sorts of activities with his siblings. He and his siblings experienced rivalries typical of a growing family, but they shared many special life experiences over the years.

A typical teenager, Jesse had a fairly happy high school experience, making that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Clovis High School in 1959. He enjoyed some cla**** more than others, having favorite subjects and teachers.

Jesse enjoyed his college years, which may have been a challenge with all of the academics, responsibilities, and the sudden freedom that accompanied them, but Jesse was able to manage the balancing act. He graduated from the College of Oceaneering in 1963.

On February 8, 1964 Jesse exchanged wedding vows with his sweetheart, Brenda Marie. Empathic and loyal, Jesse was committed to making his new family happy.

Jesse worked hard to be a good father to his children and he did his best to fulfill their needs. Jesse was blessed with three children, three sons, Jesse Lee Jr., David Leon, and James Paul. He was also blessed with five grandchildren, three step granddaughters, and six step grand babies.

Fortunately, Jesse enjoyed accomplishing many different goals throughout his lifetime. He was a commercial diver for ten years; he spent thirty five years as the owner and operator of Aqua Tech Dive Center which is known as one of the best antique diving nautical museums in the world. He contributed greatly to the diving industry by being the inventor and patent owner of commercial diving burning rods. He designed and made his own air hats.

 

To add to his list of accomplishments, he was also a sprint car driver for 15 years and was the owner and designer of Perris Speedway in 1995. Jesse was the owner and operator of Arco Am/Pm car wash in Modesto, California. He was also a private pilot, restaurant owner, World Series of Poker finalist, and was an all around sportsman and competitor. His adventurous and outgoing personality allowed him to accomplish all of these exciting goals. Ultimately, Jesse would consider his biggest accomplishment during his lifetime to be the fact that he was a wonderful father to his children and an extraordinary husband to his wife of 46 years.

Sadly, Jesse passed away on July 29, 2010 at Kaiser Zion Hospital in San Diego, California. Jesse fought a brave one year battle against ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). He is survived by his wife, Brenda Marie Dean; sons, Jesse Lee Jr., David Leon, and James Paul; as well as all of his grandchildren. Services were held at the Glen Abbey Mortuary Chapel on August 6, 2010. Jesse was laid to rest in Glen Abbey Memorial Park in Bonita, California.

Simply stated, Jesse was a good and kind person, an individual who will for all time be remembered by his family and friends as being a caring and giving person, someone who was a vital part of their lives. Jesse leaves behind him a legacy of life-long friendships and many cherished memories. Everyone whose life he touched will always remember Jesse L. Dean.