Dean Fredrick Smeltzer

He was born to Donald and Treva Smeltzer on March 8, 1929 and lived his early years with his parents and older siblings, Miriam and Paul, in Elkhart, Indiana. Dean studied engineering at Purdue University, where he met his future wife, Marjorie Carlisle, from Mooresville, Indiana. At age 22 Dean left Purdue to enter the Army and served in Germany from 1951 to 1953 during the Korean War. Upon return, he and Marjorie were married on May 23, 1953, and Dean completed his bachelor’s degree at Purdue.

The couple then moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan where Dean began his engineering career with Lear Inc. The family expanded to include three children: Eric, Deanne, and Nancy. The family moved to Walpole, Massachusetts in 1962 and spent their summers in Brewster, where Dean designed and helped build a sunny home on Sheep Pond. Dean worked at Northrop Corporation for 27 years, where he designed and helped to develop gyroscopes for guidance systems. Upon his retirement in 1989, he and Marjorie moved to Brewster full-time. There, Dean enjoyed building boats and furniture in his woodshop, canoeing and sailing, and spending time with his six grandchildren.

Dean was known for his playful sense of humor, his curiosity and open-mindedness, and the way he formed a special bond with each person in his life. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie Smeltzer, his children and their spouses—Eric and Dale Smeltzer, Deanne and Tom Urmy, and Nancy and James Goldstein—and his six grandchildren: Ben and Neal Smeltzer, Sam and Carlo Urmy, and Allie and Jake Goldstein. Dean also leaves a legacy of his many wooden boats, which his family will continue to paddle and sail around Sheep Pond.

In lieu of flowers, donations if desired can be made to the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, 869 Main Street (Route 6A), Brewster MA 02631 (or their website, ccmnh.org).