Dean Arthur Umberger

On Tuesday, February 14, 2012 of Burtonsville, Maryland. devoted husband of Joyce Umberger; loving father of Regina Clark and her husband Patrick, and Jim Umberger and his wife Vicki; brother of Wade Umberger and his wife Janet. Dean is survived by three grandchildren, Keith Umberger and wife Lisa, Stacey (Umberger) Quarrick and husband Tim, and Brian Clark, and three great-grandchildren, Taylor, Teagan and Easton Umberger. Also survived by nieces Sue Smith-Guilbeau and Pat McShane and nephew Art Umberger of Florida.

Family will receive friends at the Fleck Funeral Home on Friday, February 17, 2012 from 2 to 4 PM and 6 to 8 PM and a funeral service will be held at 10 AM, Saturday, February 18, 2012. Interment to follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Silver Spring, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society

Dean Umberger was born on September 21, 1930 to John and Marion in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. At the age of 10 he and his family moved to Washington, D.C. Dean graduated from McKinley High School and attended Montgomery Junior College for one year. Dean was employed at the local People’s Drug Store during his teenage years and also referred to himself as being a “soda jerk” as he worked the snack bar at the store.

He married Joyce Cox, daughter of James and Catherine Cox on February 3, 1951. They started their life together living in Cheverly, MD. They were blessed with two children: Regina in April 1952 and Jim in January 1955. With the family expanding they moved to Riverdale, Maryland where the children attended Saint Bernard’s Elementary School.

Dean worked as a meat cutter for the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co, better known as A&P, which later became Super Fresh. The family always had the best cuts of meat to enjoy. It was a tradition for him to cook a chuck roast and potatoes on Tuesdays, which was his normal day off. Dean and Joyce would often take Regina and Jim to Mayo and Beverly Beach for the day, taking along his mother-in-law where she would sit and play the slot machines.

In the late 1960’s when the Rouse vision of Columbia was beginning to start, Dean and Joyce purchased a new home in Allview Estates. Dean continued to work at the A&P in various locations (Queenstown, Greenbelt, Rockville, Aspen Hill) and Joyce drove a school bus. In the mid 1970’s they moved their residence to Burtonsville to Joyce’s parent’s home so they could take care of Joyce’s parents.

Dean was blessed with not just one green thumb but two. Anything he planted just flourished. He had a traditional vegetable garden and enjoyed harvesting tomatoes, green beans, squash, green peppers, and zucchini each year. When the garden plot was consumed with a swimming pool for his grandchildren to enjoy, his vegetable garden took on a different appearance. He would line the back of the house with his squash and zucchini plants and put his tomato plants in trash cans where they would grow into monster plants and bear beautiful tomatoes.

In addition to his vegetable garden, Dean turned the screened-in porch into an oasis of beautiful hanging baskets each summer. Whether Dean started the plants from seed or they were bought from local stores, he would feed and nourish them with his secret gardening aid, Miracle Gro. Magnificent baskets of fuchsia, petunias, colossus, and impatiens would adorn the porch the entire summer. Regina and Jim’s families spent a lot of their time during the summer at the pool and Dean would always want to fix dinner. He was a great cook whether on the grill, like barbeque chicken or a grilled ham that no one could replicate, or in the kitchen. Homemade meatballs and fried zucchini were some of his specialties. The only downside to his great cooking was he left the kitchen a mess!

He was a true “Marylander” as he enjoyed a cold beer and crabs as often as possible. It became a tradition to order a dozen or two, and sometimes a bushel, steamed crabs when his family came in the summer to spend time with him and Joyce in the backyard around the pool. But crabs and beer wasn’t just a summer treat for him, he would visit his favorite restaurant, Gunnings in Hanover, MD in the middle of winter and have a half dozen crabs and a cup of cream of crab soup to carry him over until the summer months.

“Dean”, “Dad”, “PopPop” will be missed, but his memories will last forever.