Dean Rennaker

Dean Rennaker was a hardworking, dependable man, a down-to-earth guy in every respect. Dean devoted his life to provide for his family, as a loyal and loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. Most of all, Dean was a man you could always count on to do the right thing, and he taught us to do the same.

Dean’s story began on a cool spring day in 1927, as the crops began to be planted in the little farming town of Converse, Indiana. Those were good days in this country, times of peace and prosperity, during the twilight of the Roaring 20s, and the calm before the terrible storm of the Great Depression. On April 11, 1927, Starluss and Doris (Loop) Rennaker had even more to celebrate, with the birth of a baby boy, a son they named Mylon Dean Rennaker.

Dean, as he would always go by, was the middle of five children on the family farm, joining older siblings William and Reva, and little siblings Paul and Ruth. Like his father, Dean was a natural born farmer from day one, and practically lived in the fields since he was in diapers.

When he wasn’t tending to his father’s farm, Dean went to school in Jackson Township nearby, and graduated from Jackson Township High in 1945. After he graduated, Dean concentrated on the family farm and the fields full-time, but soon he would have a family of his own to consider.

One night Dean went roller skating at Idlewild Roller Rink in Marion, Indiana, where he spotted a pretty young girl named Shirley Scott, and struck up a conversation with her. The sparks flew between them, and before the night was over, Dean had a budding romance with the curly redhead!

They began dating, fell in love, and were married on August 15, 1948, in Summitville, Indiana, beginning so many wonderful years together. The newlyweds settled into their own little farmhouse in Converse, where Dean tended the land, and Shirley began tending to their growing family. Before they knew it, they were the proud parents of two beautiful baby girls, Susan and Anita, who filled their lives with pride and joy.

While farming in Converse, Dean had taken a job with General Motors. A few years later Dean and Shirley decided to move to Fairmount, Indiana to be closer to Shirley's family. After about 3 years Dean missed farming so they bought a farm in Montpelier, Indiana were he farmed part time and continue to work for General Motors. They weren’t there long, before Dean was transferred to the General Motor plant on Sprinkle Road in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The family settled into a new home in nearby Vicksburg.

Indeed, the family adapted well to their new surroundings, and Dean began to love the area for the outdoor recreation it offered in such abundance. He loved to fish, and Dean and his family formed so many wonderful memories over the years from fishing and boating around Portage Lake and West Lake near their home. Dean spent hours upon hours fishing those lakes.

Dean and Shirley also made many close friends in the area, especially Flo and Duane Cummins, who became their best friends. The two couples traveled a lot together after their retirement.

Dean was an excellent employee for General Motors, who never, ever called in sick (unless he just had to) and he once even won a big bonus check for his suggestion to improve the assembly line! But while you can take the farmer off the farm, you can’t take the farm out of the farmer. Dean also had a very large garden at his Vicksburg home, where he enjoyed growing his many fruits and vegetables. He loved to pull pumpkin blossoms and fry them up for a delicious snack.

Dean was a hardworking man, and always worked up a good appetite! He loved home cooking the best of all, and topped it off with ice cream for dessert. Dean loved ice cream, and could eat an entire half-gallon at once, without even using a bowl!

As big as his appetite seemed to be, Dean’s heart was so much bigger, and he enjoyed helping those around him every chance he had. He was a faithful member of Christ Assembly of God Church in Portage, and always reached out to help his fellow members. He could fix anything and everything, and was very generous with his money, as well as his time. He once bought a needy family a wood-burning stove, when he learned they couldn’t afford heat.

That’s the kind of man Dean was, hardworking and honest, dependable and helpful. He eventually retired from GM in 1991, taking his much-deserved retirement. He enjoyed the extra time to fish, or to build and fly his many model planes, another of his passions, but most of all, he loved having more time to spend with his beloved family, which had grown to include grandchildren. Seeing his grandkids, David, Daniel, Holly, Amber and Austin never failed to bring a smile to Dean’s face.

Dean sadly lost his beloved Shirley in 2004, after 55 wonderful years of marriage. It was a very sad time for him, yet he got through it with the love of his family, and also formed a close bond with Shirley’s cat Ebony, who became his feline friend.

Eventually, Dean’s health began to decline, as well, as the years took their toll on him. Sadly, Dean died on Thursday, August 21, 2008, at the age of 81.

Dean was a wonderful, dependable man, a man so full of character and compassion for the people around him. He was a hardworking farmer and factory man, and a loyal and loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. More than anything, Dean was a man you could always count on, and a man you could believe in. He will be greatly missed.

Dean is survived by his two daughters: Susan and her husband Mark Hirsch, of Vicksburg; Anita and her husband Charles Porter, of Vicksburg; five grandchildren: David Hirsch and his wife Jennifer, Daniel Hirsch, Holly (Hamming) and her husband Kyle Bland, Amber Hamming and Austin Porter. He is also survived by his brother: Paul and his wife Mary Kay Rennaker, of Converse, IN; his sister: Reva Moore, of Gas City, IN; brother and sister-in-laws: Jewel Scott, of Durant, FL; Brenda and Doug Compo, of Summitville, IN; Paul and Doris Scott, of Fairmount, IN; Roy Young, of Kokomo, IN; and Leland Mahoney, of Chesterfield, IN; and many nieces and nephew including ones that he considered like his own kids: Myron Scott and Patty Evans. He is preceded in death by his wife Shirley in 2004; brother: William Rennaker; sister: Ruth Ann Young; brothers-in-law: Stephen Scott and Carl Moore and sister-in-law: Barbara Mahoney; nephew: Wade Scott; and niece: Marilyn Markley

Learn more about Dean, view his Life Story film, and visit with his family and friends Saturday from 5 to 8 PM at the Life Story Funeral Home, Portage Chapel, 5975 Lovers Lane. Funeral services will be held at 3 PM Sunday at the same location officiated by Pastor Jeffery Bladen.

Please visit Dean’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can share a favorite memory or photo, sign his memory book online or make a memorial donation to the family.