Epilogue

After the last entry:

June 2, 1921 Bennett L. Dean made his final Journal entry on daughter June's birthday.

July 18, 1921 ”...Ben is not well and the Dr. has advised his resting up or trying something else. So he is laying off has been up to the lake...” [Letter from Lydia Joy Dean to Dorothy Dean, July 18, 1921]

July 26, 1921 Ben's mother, Lydia Joy Dean, died at the home of her sister-in-law, Mrs. Asa Joy, on Church Street in Plymouth. She was buried at the Old Plymouth Village Cemetery in Plymouth.

Between 1921-1924 the Ben's family moved from 309 Hecla Avenue to 6115 Hecla Avenue, Detroit, Michigan.

1922--Bennett Joy Dean graduated from Northwestern High School in Detroit.

Bennett L Dean may have had a heart attack in late 1922, he would have been about 54 years old.

Bennett Joy Dean moved to California February/March 1924, Worked for Pacific South West Bank in Los Angeles from Mar. 1924 to Feb. 1926, began work for Southern California Edison July 1926, was married November 1926 to Lillian Mills.

1925 photo of a Joy Family reunion, Ben is the 2nd from the right, and doesn't look well. Laurence is next to Ben and Howard is on the far left.

In April 1927 Bennett L. Dean had a bad fall injuring his head. Mrs. Bennett Joy Dean recorded in her diary for Wednesday April 13, 1927: “Ben rec’d a letter from Gram. Ben’s father had a fall & is quite bad”.

“Last week I was over to see Ben, Ernie had just been there and gone. Edna and Clarence came up while I was there and we had a nice visit. I can not see that Ben changes very much, just about the same. When I came in, his face brightened up and he knew who I was but he soon lost it again.” [Letter from Ben's brothers, George to Herbert, December 27, 1927:]

On January 6, 1928 Ben was taken to Pontiac State Hospital. Ben died there of Myocardial Failure at 2:15 PM on January 16; he was 59 years, 9 months and 19 days old. His death certificate lists the cause of death as Myocardial failure, duration 77 months. Also contributing to his condition was mental depression. On January 19th Bennett Luther Dean’s cremated remains were buried in his father William Day Dean’s family plot in the Plymouth Village Cemetery. Ben had no grandchildren at the time of his death; in time he would have 8 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Letter from Edna to Herbert, February 26, 1928: “...Howard had been promised a job with the Edison people of California if he would come out and be there not later than the 1st of April, so Anna and Howard are talking of driving out but Anna doesn’t know what to do with Louise and June. She had about decided to take June with her and leave Louise here but I told her I didn’t think she ought to take June and leave Louise because June would be company for Louise. You know that Laurence is to be married on the 6th of March and he and his wife are to keep house for the two girls, that was the first arrangement, but I am afraid that Laurence and Viola will go out and leave the girls alone and that is why I think Anna ought to leave them both or take both. Anna is working hard and cleaning the house, doing some papering and painting getting ready for the bride. The bride intends to work for a while, thirty years or so like I did. Anna has not been very well since Ben passed away, she goes all to pieces, stomach, head and nerves.”

Laurence married Viola Estelle Sweitzer on March 6th at 5410 Maybury Grand Avenue, Detroit and they made their home at the family residence at 6115 Hecla Avenue in Detroit. Laurence became an Engineer for Michigan Bell Telephone Company. He and his wife Viola remained in Michigan and raised four children in Detroit.

Nine days after the wedding, Anna and Howard left Michigan, driving to California leaving the girls, June and Louise, with Laurence and Viola until Anna found a place to live in California.

June and Louse probably went out to California by train after their mother found a place to live.

Howard was married to Dorothea Editha Chamberlin on November 14, 1943. They had one daughter and stayed in Southern California

Louise married David Hartt Terry on September 4, 1945. After her husband’s death in 1980, Louise married Herman Frederick ‘Rick’ Frederickson on March 3, 1984. Louise did not have any children. She died on December 6, 1998 at the age of 89 years.

June married Clarence Albert McCoy on October 1, 1949. June had no children of her own. She died on August 30, 2002.

Anna Clarkson Dean died in Southern California on December 8, 1954. She was buried at Live Oak Memorial Park, Monrovia, Los Angeles Co., CA.

Bennett and his wife Lillian remained in Southern California where they raised 3 children.