Bob Dean
May 17, 1926 – Feb 10, 2024
Robert (Bob) Dean passed away at his home in California on Feb 10, 2024 at the age of 97. He was fortunate to be the picture of health for all but the last year of two of his life but he eventually succumbed to old age. Bob was Born May 17, 1926, in New Westminster British Columbia to parents Harold and Ruth Dean.
After graduating from the University of British Columbia with a degree in food technology Bob took a position with BC Packers, a large vertically integrated seafood company in British Columbia Canada and swiftly moved up the ranks.
In 1962 Bob, his wife Norma and two young children David and Donna moved to sunny Southern California when Bob was tapped to open BC Packers fish breading operation “Certi-Fresh” in Santa Fe Springs, California.
Bob remained with Cert-Fresh until the late 70’s when he co-founded International Pacific Seafoods and then in 1993 co-founded Seabreeze Seafoods where he finally retired at the age of 93.
Bob was a fierce advocate for the Seafood Industry and gave his time to several industry organizations throughout his long career including the National Fisheries Institute, The California Sea Grant Program, and both the California Fisheries Association and the California Seafood Institute, the latter two merging into today’s California Fisheries and Seafood Institute.
The Seafood Industry took Bob on travels around the world: Japan, Iceland, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and just about everywhere in between. He had great stories and was ALWAYS the last to leave the hundreds of industry functions he attended over the years. It wasn’t uncommon to see Bob, Norma and several friends sitting at the last table in the room with the lights coming on, chairs stacked on the tables around them and Bob asking the bartender to stay open for just one more round for his friends. He enjoyed Canadian Whiskey and water in a tall glass.
Bob’s other passion in life was Hockey. He grew up playing in British Columbia and his team, coached by his Dad, won a provincial championship when Bob was 16. He was a Canucks fan, a Kings fan when he moved to California and when the expansion Ducks started in Anaheim in 1993, he was one of the first in line for season tickets which he has had ever since. The Ducks publicly honored him between periods at a game in 2020 as an inaugural season ticket holder.
Bobs lovely wife Norma predeceased him in 2022. Bob is survived by his children, David and Donna, four grand children and four great grandchildren with another one on the way.
He will be missed by many. A private family service is pending.