Linda Dean

January 12, 2020, is the day we lost a giant of a tiny woman. Linda Jane Dean was born on August 25, 1938, in Grand Saline. She was the daughter of Ray R. Roberts and Sarah V. Lindsey. Her maternal grandparents were Olen and Lissie Douglas Lindsey of Wills Point, and her paternal grandparents were Fenton F. and Mary O. Roberts, also of Wills Point. The family lived in Van, where Linda’s father managed a dry goods store. The family later moved to Gilmer, where her father took a job with Marshall’s Dry Goods. When WWII began, her father participated in the invasion at Normandy as part of Patton’s Army. He received a Purple Heart and hid out with a Belgium family until rescued by American troops. Upon her father’s return, the family moved to Pittsburg, where Mr. Roberts opened a new Marshall’s store. Linda Jane was very active in Mount Pleasant High School, serving as an officer in several clubs and was a member of the high school choir and the marching band. Her family was very active in the Tennyson Memorial Methodist Church. Upon graduation, she attended North Texas University where she received a degree in Elementary Education. She married the love of her life, Billy Dean, on March 10, 1961, in Wills Point. She was passionate about teaching, which she did for 32 years, retiring from WPISD in 1992. Linda loved her family, genealogy, and volunteering for the genealogical society.