Ruth L. Dean, 77 of Sullivan, died 4:20 p.m. Tuesday (August 7, 2012) in Mason Point, Sullivan.

Celebration of Life services will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday in the Faith Lutheran Church, Sullivan. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Friday in the Reed Funeral Home, Sullivan and at Faith Lutheran Church one hour before services on Saturday. Burial will be in the Greenhill Cemetery, Sullivan. Memorials are suggested to Faith Lutheran Church, Sullivan or to St. John’s Lutheran Church, Mattoon. Condolences may be sent to the family at reedfuneralhome.net.

Ruth was born September 22, 1934 in Quincy, the daughter of Herman August and Leona Caroline Dedert Vahle. She had been the owner and operator of Dean’s Greenhouse with her husband John. She had also worked as a clerk for the CEFS Thrifty Boutique in Sullivan, had been a seamstress for Delbert’s Clothing in Arthur and for the Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan. Ruth was a charter member of the Faith Lutheran Church, Sullivan where she had been a Sunday School teacher for many years, a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Mattoon and the St. John’s Lutheran Church Ladies Friendship Guild. She married John W. Dean on April 18, 1954 in Quincy and he preceded her in death on October 10, 2011.

Surviving are her son, John (Kim) Dean of LaGrange; daughter, Julia (Mark) Beals of Sullivan; grandchildren, Jessica Beals of Sullivan, Dr. Marci (Michael) Kirk of Charleston, Sarah Dean and Michael Dean of LaGrange; sisters, Carolyn Vahle of Quincy, Lois Vahle of St. Louis, MO, Anna Anderson of Palm Desert, CA; brother, Leroy (B) Vahle of Arnold, CA; sisters in law, Rosemary (Giles) Farmer of Maybank, TX and Shirley Briney Kost of Browning, IL..

She was preceded in death by her parents and husband.