Dean Blatchford

Dr. Steven Blatchford, a practicing Otolaryngologist in Tucson, Arizona, and Douglas B. Blatchford, a professional civil engineer working for the federal government, jointly announce the death of their father Dean Blatchford of Woodland Hills, California on December 4, 2011 in Boulder City, Nevada. Dean was 90 years old.

Dean Blatchford was born Homer Dean Tubbs, Jr. in Phillips, Maine, on March 17th, 1921 to Homer Dean Tubbs Sr. and Florian Wheeler. In the early 1920's the family, including his maternal grandparents, Rhoda Carson and Charles Wheeler, moved from Maine to Santa Barbara, California, where Florian took the stage name of Yvonne Wilsa and pursued a career in singing, songwriting and show business. She married Robert Blatchford in the late 1920's. Dean was raised jointly by Florian, and Rhoda and Charles Wheeler, until his grandparents' death in the early 1930's. Dean attended the old Mesa Grade School from 1927 to 1930 and Wilson Grade School from 1930 to 1932. Dean attended LaCumbre Junior High School in Santa Barbara from 1932 to 1936 and-- like others-- was a homeless teenager. After transferring between high schools in Santa Ana and Hollywood, he eventually graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 1939.

Dean enlisted in the United States Navy on June 19, 1941 and received training as a radio technician at Treasure Island, San Francisco. In August 1942 he began service on the USS Bogue until he was transferred to the USS Barnegat in February 1943 in Boston. He married his first wife in Boston during shore leave in December 1942. He crossed the Arctic Circle for the first time in January 1943 and the equator in June 1943. In July 1943 he served in anti-submarine combat to counter the U-boat threat to shipping off the coast of Brazil, where the Barnegat sank U-513 and U-199. In 1945 after the war he re-enlisted in the United States Navy and was based out of San Diego, attached to the carrier wing of the USS Tarawa and other carriers. He saw combat during the Korean conflict serving as an SB2D torpedo dive bomber copilot. Dean was honorably discharged from the Navy on February 24, 1953. It wasn't until 1975 that he revealed his dive-bomber service to the family.

After his military service Dean was employed briefly at Lockheed, and in April 1955 began employment at the Naval Missile Test Center at Point Mugu, California. Dean served on the Phoenix Missile Program in the late 1950's and early 1960's; he invented and patented Passive Ranging for Air-to-Air Missile Systems. A second patent was issued for the Tacan Flying Target Control System, or Mobile Sea Range, which simulated a Soviet attack on the US Navy. From 1954 to 1962 he attended LA Pierce College to obtain an AA Degree in Engineering, and again from 1962 to 1968 receiving a BA Degree in Sociology from the San Fernando Valley State College. He continued attending night classes at the University of Southern California from 1972 to 1975 where he received a Master of Science in Systems Management. He was promoted to GS-14 at Pt Mugu in 1967, and retired in August 1978 as the Chief of the Missile Systems Division, after 23 years of federal service.

On December 8, 1951 he married Ethel Marie Kuhlmann of Herman Nebraska, born December 16, 1921. Dean and Ethel met at a ballroom dance mixer in Hollywood, California. After discharge from the Navy in 1953 Dean and Ethel moved to Woodland Hills, California in February 1954, where they lived for over 54 years in same house, until February 2008 when Ethel passed away. They were married for 57 years. Dean enjoyed hunting, fishing, backpacking, tennis, SCUBA diving, surfing, running, bee keeping, gardening, ham radio, and remote control model airplanes. He was involved in the Boy Scouts and served as scoutmaster of Troop 118 of Woodland Hills in the 1970's. He took the family and the boy scouts on backpacking trips into the High Sierra, and on the John Muir Trail. He learned how to surf at age 40; and enjoyed SCUBA diving long before the existence of air pressure gages and buoyancy compensators. He often took the family to Rincon Point beach on summer weekends, enjoying barbeques and bonfires on the beach.

Dean is survived by his daughter, Charlotte Ann Ashmore (Don) of Las Vegas, Nevada, his son Steven James Blatchford (Chris), of Tucson, Arizona, and his son Douglas Bruce Blatchford (Cindy) of Boulder City, Nevada. Dean is also survived by six grandchildren, Kimberly Ashmore-Brown (James) and Wayne Ashmore (Heidy); Lindsey Blatchford and Alex Blatchford; and Taylor Blatchford and Hope Blatchford. Dean is also survived by 4 great-grandchildren, Ashley Brown and Robert Brown; and Tanner and Trenton Ashmore.

Funeral services will be held at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery, located at 1900 Buchanan Blvd, Boulder City, Nevada, at 10:40 am on Friday, December 16, 2011, what would have been Ethel's 90th birthday. The family of his son, Douglas, will receive guests following interment at his home in Boulder City. Family and friends can sign the online guestbook at www.bouldercityfamilymortuary.com