Dean Thomas Jett

As each adventurer well knows, as soon as one journey ends, the next begins. Dean Thomas Jett departed from this life on October 3, 2025, to continue his eternal adventure. His year-long battle with pancreatic cancer ended with his ultimate victory and complete healing through Jesus Christ.

Dean was born in Tulsa, OK on April 15, 1954, to Glendon and Portia Jett. His sense of adventure started early. One of his favorite authors was Mark Twain, which was fitting because he grew up a lot like Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer; spending summers at his grandparent’s farm, shirtless, shoeless, hunting, fishing and exploring the countryside. He loved all things outdoors: snow skiing, hunting, fly fishing, hiking, running and was an avid sailor. He always said that was time spent in “God’s Cathedral.” Dean could build or fix anything, and his woodworking skills were second to none. He was also a talented artist and many of his sketches and paintings are with friends or in his home today.

Dean graduated from Abilene Christian College, receiving a degree in Chemistry and Physics with minors in Math and Bible. When he wasn’t in class, you could always find him knocking on a stranger’s door, asking to hunt their dove field, or driving up to the mountains to take advantage of a winter storm that had just dumped fresh powder on the ski slopes. Later in college, his father cut his college funding after Dean refused to cut his hair, meaning that he needed to do what all college students dread: find a job. But he was never afraid to get to work. Dean worked various jobs throughout the summers to pay his way through school, including working on a brick crew building houses, and eventually starting at the company Southwestern, selling Bibles door to door throughout the South. Like most other things in his life, he took his job seriously, but never too seriously. He always told the story of a slow day in the book field, when he made his best effort to sell an “alligator farm” to a lady in Arkansas. It is a testament to his humor and light-heartedness in any situation.

However, after his time in college, he decided that being stuck analyzing data under the blinding fluorescent lights of a lab wasn’t for him. He preferred the meaningful connections and relationships that he was able to cultivate through the face-to-face interactions of sales. This led him to take a job with The Heritage Shop in Dallas, which eventually relocated him to Austin where he would start his own business. Dean Jett was the proud owner of Dean Jett - Custom Clothier for over 45 years, where he continued to focus on building meaningful relationships. When he had the time, he made some of the finest clothes in Texas. Many of his clients called to order clothing, not because they “needed” anything, but just so they could visit with Dean. The connections he made with people went beyond the clothes they wore. If you were a client, he considered you a valued friend. He always said “5 years from now you’ll be the same person you are today, except for the people you meet, the books you read, and the experiences you have.”

At the end of the day, Dean’s custom clothing business provided him the ability to make his own schedule and spend time where he knew it truly mattered: with his family. During those times, he was able to pass along his knowledge, faith, and love for the outdoors, exemplifying what it meant to be a God fearing husband and father. He had experiences and stories that he could talk about for days. One adventure that he would always recount was the delivery of the “Satisfaction II”. A sailing trip which took him from Clear Lake, TX, across the Gulf through storms and open ocean, to Fort Myers, FL. The stories of having to take star sightings when they lost their GPS, knockdowns, sea sickness, and general boat troubles from that trip always sounded like something out of Gilligan’s Island, and were a testament to his adventurous spirit. He always cherished the moments that he was able to “unplug” from the rest of the world, whether that was chasing Redfish on the Texas Coast, fly fishing in the Rio Costilla, skiing in Colorado, sailing in the Bahamas and BVI’s, Boy Scout trips with his two boys, or High Adventure Treks with his daughter. He was especially grateful to spend his last two summers trekking through Europe with his family, checking off more of his ever growing bucket list. Not long ago, he wrote in his journal “I truly cannot complain about the life I have been given; I have been abundantly blessed. Could I have had more? Of course! I also could have had much much less. I have lived comfortably, I have had moderate success, have wonderful family and friends, traveled, skied, hiked and sailed. It’s been a wonderful life!”

If you ever had the opportunity to spend any time with Dean, you know that this barely scratches the surface of who he was and what he has accomplished. It is difficult to fit 71 years of a life full of laughter and experiences into a few short pages.

Dean is survived by his loving wife of 30 years, Sheryl Jett, children, Nolan, Parker and Kate Jett, brother Glendon Jett (Denise) of Borger, TX, sister, Janice James of Perkins, OK and brother, Jay Jett of Brandon, MS as well as numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and too many friends to mention.

A celebration of Dean’s life has been set for Friday, October 24, 2025, at 11:00 am at Austin Ridge Bible Church, 9300 Bee Cave Road, Austin, TX 78733. If you plan to attend, please do not feel the need to wear black, but opt for more colorful attire. Dean would prefer it that way.

We would like to give extra special thanks to the Bible Babes, Community Bible Study, and the numerous friends who prayed for Dean and supported his family in so many ways this past year. Also thank you to the doctors and their staff from Dell Medical Center: Declan Fleming, Kyaw Aung, Roma Patel, Lindsay Kozicz and Madeline Caldwell. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in Dean’s memory to the Austin Ridge NEXT Campaign, Scouts of America, Austin Sunshine Camps, or the charity of your choice.

As Tom Caldwell says, “Keep your head where your feet are” to which Dean added, “Keep your feet where your faith is!”