Dean was born on March 4, 1947 in Norfolk, Nebraska to Glenn and Kathleen (Schroeder) Hallgren. He was 1 of four siblings, growing up on the farm in Newman Grove, Nebraska. He was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church. He married his high school sweetheart, Paula Williams, on August 31, 1968 at the First Methodist Church in Newman Grove, Nebraska. They were blessed with two children, Christopher and Andrea.
Dean graduated from Newman Grove High School in 1965 and completed an Associate Degree in Art, in 1967, at Norfolk Junior College. He served in the Army National Guard through his honorable discharge in March of 1969 before earning his Bachelor of Science Degree, in Business and Industrial Arts, from Wayne State College, in 1971. Throughout this time, Dean worked at the gas company in Norfolk–Western Power and Gas.
Dean continued his work in the natural gas industry for 41 years. He consistently gained respect and additional responsibilities during his career, staying with the company across many name changes–Cengas, Minnegasco and CenterPoint Energy. His dedication to the organization would take him from Norfolk, to Columbus, Sioux Falls, Lincoln, and finally Minneapolis before retiring in 2006 as Manager of Gas Acquisitions–buying, selling and trading natural gas. He especially enjoyed the construction side of the company and treasured all the friends he made while working there.
Grandpa`s hobbies included a love of attending activities for his children and grandchildren, yardwork, golf, hunting, fishing and football. He could build and fix anything and spent countless hours at his computer crunching and analyzing numbers.
He is preceded in death by his parents; brother Kenneth Hallgren; brother-in-law Leon Nelson; parents-in-law Lyle and Elaine Williams; brother-and-sister-in-law Robert and Judith Ranes and nephew Bryan Scott Ranes.
Dean is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Paula; his children, son, Christopher (Abigail) Hallgren, daughter, Andrea Hallgren; grandchildren, Alexander and Mya Hallgren; twin sister, DeAnn Nelson; brother, Keith (Carol) Hallgren; sister-in-law, Christine (Brad) Adamson; brother-in-law, John (Ella) Williams; and many other family members and friends.
We will truly miss his guiding love, strength, sense of humor, and warm ways.
A celebration of Dean’s life will be held at Roper & Sons South Chapel, 3950 Hohensee Drive, Lincoln, Nebraska, at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 14th.
A private burial service will be held at Hope Cemetery in Newman Grove, Nebraska.
In honor of Dean’s fight and his grandson’s pursuit of a degree in medical genetics at Iowa State, memorial contributions may be directed to the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (https://acgtfoundation.org/tribute). The AGCT Foundation believes in a cancer-free future. They are dedicated to genetic research and the advancement of new cell and gene therapies, focused on utilizing the body’s natural defenses to destroy cancer cells without harming healthy tissue, for a cure to all cancers.
Link to Service Recording: https://vimeo.com/1093353412/5652269435?share=copy