Olen “Dean” Dygert, 94, of Battle Creek, passed away Sunday, October 2, 2022 at ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital.
A memorial service will be held at Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, 2589 Capital Avenue SW in Battle Creek at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 26, 2022.
The family is being served by Lighthouse Funeral & Cremation Services.
Dean was born on November 21, 1927 in Angola, Indiana to Olin Carl Hall Dygert and Alice Pauline (Rozell) Dygert. He graduated from Angola High School in 1945 and went on to Tri-State University to study civil engineering. He entered the U.S. Army in 1947, just after the end of WWII. In 1949 he married Cynthia Ruth Vinton in Albion, IN. They had two daughters together, Molly and June.
Dean continued to serve honorably in the military and was discharged in 1951, shortly after the start of the Korean War. Upon his return to the states, he continued on in his education, earning a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bradley University.
Dean’s career took him, Cynthia and the girls all over the Midwest, as he worked for several different companies before settling down in the early 1970s in Battle Creek. He became Chief Engineer at Clark Equipment, from which he retired after 15 years of service. Dean continued doing engineering consulting for several more years, working in Sault St. Marie, MI.
Following Cynthia’s death, he married JoAnn (Baggerly) Schlubatis in 1985 at St. Mark’s in Coldwater. Dean loved to travel the world with JoAnn. Some of their most memorable trips were overseas to England, Italy, Greece, Australia, and New Zealand to name a few.
Dean was a man of faith. He was a long-time member at Church of the Resurrection Episcopal in Battle Creek. He was also a member of the American Legion, The Elks Lodge in Coldwater, and the Society of American Engineers. He held several leadership positions through the years.
Having a curious mind led Dean to do a lot of tinkering around the house. There were not many things that he couldn’t fix. He just really enjoyed building things. When he wasn’t keeping busy, Dean could be found watching a Detroit Tiger baseball game on the TV or writing. He published one book that covered the history of his family and the stories that went along with it.
Dean is survived by his wife of nearly 38 years, JoAnn Dygert; his daughter, June Sahara (Susan Bader) of Columbus, OH; his granddaughter, Margaret “Meg” Kuklovic (Johnathon Barfield) of Clearwater, FL; his brother, Charles “Chuck” Dygert of Angola, IN; sister-in-law, Evelyn Dygert of Angola, IN; his step-children, Ann (Scott) Lindquist of Deerfield, IL and Sam (Rhonda) Schlubatis of Coldwater; five step-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Cynthia Dygert; his daughter, Mary “Molly” Kuklovic in 2019; and his brothers, Robert and David Dygert.
Memorial contributions may be directed to Church of the Resurrection Episcopal, 2589 Capital Ave. SW, Battle Creek, MI 49015.
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