Thomas "Tom" Nelvin Dean

January 30, 1935–October 13, 2026

Thomas “Tom” Nelvin Dean will be remembered for his determination, curiosity, and lifelong commitment to his family, his work, and his community. He was born in Elyria, Ohio, graduated from Elyria High School in 1953, and received an academic scholarship from National Tube Company.

He attended Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, earning a Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical Engineering in 1957. He was the first person in his family to graduate from college.

On June 30, 1962, Tom married Maureen Anne FitzGerald in Troy, New York.

After spending several years in Detroit, Michigan, Tom and Maureen moved to Murrysville, Pennsylvania, when he accepted a position with Westinghouse in Blairsville. He worked there for 18 years before transferring to South Carolina, where he continued his career for another 10 years. During his 28 years with Westinghouse, he became an expert in quality and process improvement. He opened greenfield production facilities and earned national awards for repairing underperforming processes, significantly improving the profitability of operations. He retired in South Carolina after 28 years of service.

Tom developed his strong work ethic early in life. He picked fruits and vegetables, delivered newspapers, painted girders, and performed other maintenance at his high school. Later, he washed dishes, chauffeured, and took hours of dance instruction to eventually teach ballroom dancing. Throughout his career, he regularly worked long hours and weekends. Retirement did not slow him down. He became active in political causes and had many letters published in South Carolina newspapers. He was also a founding member and member of the board of directors of Metatomic, a startup established to recycle spent nuclear fuel to generate electricity.

In 2017, Tom moved to Colorado, where he continued his work with Metatomic and remained involved in politics. For several years, he served as an election worker in one of the bluest counties in the United States.

In his leisure time, he played guitar, learned to ski and golf (a little), joined a Tango dance club, enjoyed playing bridge, tasting wine, eating ice cream, and occasionally shouting at the television during political news programs.

Tom passed away peacefully in Longmont, Colorado. He is survived by his daughter, Kyle Marie (Randy); his son, Thomas FitzGerald (Mary-Catherine); his granddaughters, Ellen Hanson (Evan) and Allison Thompson (Alex); his four great-grandchildren; his grandsons, Kevin Dean, and Tommy Dean.