Lelan Dean D. Cox

Dean was born to Thomas Eugene and Lula Pearl April 7th, 1925 on the family homestead near Longdale, Oklahoma.  He is survived by his sister Verda, wife Thelma, and sons Dahl and Chuck.   A memorial service will be held on May 16th at 2:00 PM at the Longdale High School Gym.  In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Longdale Gym Community Association, PO Box 154, Longdale, OK 73755. Dean grew up working on the family farm and hunting and fishing the surrounding area.  He attended school in Longdale by riding a horse to and from town.  He participated in many sports while attending High School in Longdale and enlisted in the US Army in May 1944 at Fort Sill.  He volunteered for the 501 Parachute Infantry Regiment and was attached to the famous 101st Airborne Division for the invasion of Europe during WWII.  Among his many assignments during the European Campaign, he was a member of the elite Pathfinders, participated in the defense of Bastogne, and assisted in the liberation of concentration camps. After WWII, Dean returned to the Oklahoma and attended college at Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater.  While in Stillwater, he tried out for Henry Iba"™s freshman basket ball team, worked in various part time jobs around town and at the Stillwater airport.  He had developed a love of aviation and also was trained as an aircraft mechanic while in the service.  He rebuilt several surplus military aircraft including a P-51 Mustang to make extra money. After college, he returned to NW Oklahoma and was hired by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad.  He worked as a Fireman and mechanic for several years before returning to farming and to start raising a family.  After moving around quite a bit in search of a better life for his family he returned to the Longdale area and worked at the Fairview Lumber Company for many years before he began a general construction business. He met and married Thelma Lee Comer of Thomas, Ok and they enjoyed 37 years of dancing, fishing in Canton Lake, gardening, and Morrell mushroom hunting.  Along with building many homes and businesses in Blaine and Major Counties, Dean supervised two expansion projects at the Canton High School before finally retiring. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Lelan Dean D. Cox please visit our Sympathy Store.