Mr. Dean Edward Warren, 80, of Elkhart, passed away peacefully of natural causes at his home on Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 5:00 am.

He was born in Moline, Illinois on January 28, 1943 to the late Edward F. and Charlotte (Freece) Warren and later married his beloved Joann J. Paytash on September 18, 1965 in East Moline. She survives at home.

Also surviving are his twin sons Jason (Carla) Warren of Goshen and Jarod (Cheryl) Warren of Vicksburg, MI; his daughter Janell (Scott) Dickerson of Granger, his sister Jean Ann Martin of Mission, Kansas; grandchildren Erica (Darrick) Irwin, Trevor (Alexandria) Warren, Anna (Myles) Hurley, Ethan Warren, Jade and Stone Thompson and Zachary and Noah Dickerson; great grandchildren Camden and Callie Irwin, Paisley and Payton Warren (and one great grandson who is still on the way!!!); as well as a host of loving extended family, good friends, and wonderful neighbors.

In accordance with Dean's wishes, no immediate ceremonies have been planned and a simple cremation has been arranged with the assistance of Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Elkhart. A more personal family gathering may take place at a later date.

Dean was a tool design engineer and retired from Speed Grip Chuck of Elkhart after nearly 30 years. After that, he decided retirement wasn't for him and got a job as a courtesy driver for Enterprise Car Rental, where he continued to work up until his passing.

Dean was a passionate and well-educated amateur astronomist who absolutely enjoyed spending his evenings (if they were clear enough) gazing up at the sky to see if he could spot and identify various planets and constellations. He was rather well-known for this talent, and folks teased that he also remained rather tight-lipped about any possible sightings of UFOs. He did, however, submit an application that his name be placed on a list that in turn would be placed on a flight to Mars and then, eventually, that list would make it to the surface of the planet on a "Rover" mission. Dean swore he could see his name using his telescope from the living room.

He was also a devout outdoorsman, and loved to go anywhere where he could camp and fish and spend time with his family. He was indeed an avid fisherman and especially enjoyed trips up to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Northern Minnesota. He also enjoyed the lake Michigan shoreline and spending time there with Joann.

A little known fact about Dean that many people may not have realized was that he was an accomplished drummer. In his youth, he was drummer for a band called the "Rockin'Aires", and he just never put down his sticks after that. He attended Nappanee Missionary Church, and was, for a long while, the drummer for the church's praise band. Despite his age, Dean's grandchildren would be the first to admit that grandpa was always able to "throw down some sick beats".

Dean had a natural love for his family, and spending all the time he could with his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed coaching his sons Little League teams back in the day and attending his daughters gymnastic meets and dance performances. He was a devout Baltimore and Indianapolis Colts fan and was attached at the heart to his beloved Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. He also liked to feed and watch the resident critters in his back yard. They became his outdoor pets as he would hand feed the squirrels.

Finally, it should be noted that Dean would do anything for anyone at any time, and he absolutely lived by that ethos. He was proud of his ability and desire to help family, friends and neighbors however he could. Thank you for the wonderful, beautiful lifetime that you gave to your family. We are firmly convinced that Dean is now lovingly looking down upon all of us, and this time… he doesn't have to use a telescope!

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to any nature preserve, wilderness organization or conservation program.

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