Dean Loomis

I worked with Dean for some years in the Bureau of Reclamation in Billings and ran into him regularly at the Y. I remember Dean as a precise man at his job, painstaking in the environmental studies it was his duty to review. His comments on the studies were well considered; the studies were better after he reviewed them. At the Y, Dean continued to work out on the track, even when MS left him only the ability to pull himself along on the inside rail. A brave act, typical of Dean's dedication to whatever he did. Gray Harris

Dean and his wife Rachel were both good friends of ours. I first met Dean in 1976 when he worked as an Environmental Specialist with the Upper Missouri Regional Office of the Bureau of Reclamation in Billings MT. Dean was head of the Environmental Section and hired me as a Technical Writer. I am enormously indebted to Dean for helping get me out of the sorry State of Texas. Dean was a good boss; he was always fair and even handed to me and workmate Fred Crase, a wildlife biologist, and had a good sense of humor. Our office was a refuge for the other part of the Regional Office's environmental operation, which consisted of Ely P. Denson, the Regional Environmentalist, who was situated in an office with no staff on the other side of the Battin Federal Building. Denson would wander over to our side of the building at least once each day to consult with Dean, mostly about how to deal with the Bismarck ND Office, which was perpetually being sued by the Audubon Society, and others, over Reclamation proposals pertaining to the Missouri-Souris Water Project in North Dakota. This was a period when Reclamation, as an agency, had not yet staffed up nor learned fully how to operate in the new world of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Even so, Dean, at that time, was probably the most capable environmentalist in Reclamation. Unfortunately, the agency went through a reduction in force (RIF) in 1977 and Dean took a job as an environmental inspector with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) working on the Northern Tier Pipeline which was being built out of Canada and across North Dakota southeastward. That was a promotion for Dean from GS-12 to GS-13. Fred took a job in Boise with Reclamation, and I was shifted within the office over to the Recreation and Lands Branch headed. Dean returned to Reclamation's Regional Office several years later but this time in the Environmental Division under Rob Schroeder. During this time I had been moved into the new Montana Projects Branch, later to become the Montana Projects Office. About 1990 I transferred from there to the Environmental Division where I was privileged to again work with Dean. Dean contracted Multiple Schlerosis (MS) in the early 1990's and retired in 1993. I have not known anyone to fight MS as hard and determined as Dean. He spent a lot of time at the YMCA exercising to maintain muscle tone, fitness, and mobility. But it slowly took its toll and, after several years he finally had to contend with a wheel chair. I retired in 1995 and stayed in contact with Dean and Rachel over the years as he continued his personal battle with MS. When they lived on Golden Avenue his physical condition had deteriorated considerably, but his mind stayed sharp. Marilyn (my wife) and I visited him and Rachel as often as we could and did minor household favors as needed. Dean always wanted to reciprocate and would "repay" me with things he no longer needed or could use such as tools even pieces of furniture. Once, after I performed a difficult under- the- sink plumbing job, he insisted I take a 20 gauge Remington shotgun, which had hardly been used. That was the way Dean was; he wanted everything to be done fairly and even handed. Over several years Dean suffered recurring urinary tract infections related to the MS, and Rachel was beginning to show early signs of Alzheimers. It was during one of these week long hospitalizations he and Rachel were persuaded by rather shady operators of a local nursing home to sell their home, car, and belongings and relocate to a nursing home in the Heights. Marilyn and I had been traveling and only found out about this a couple of weeks later. When we visited them Dean wasn't saying much, but it was pretty obvious he and Rachel were not happy, so we contacted the Adult Protective Services (in MT Health and Human Services Department) to see what could be done. Ms. Boysen, a very able case worker, looked into the situation and within a few days had arranged for their transfer to a much better facility on the West End of Billings. She was not able to restore their home or car but was able to negotiate down the rapidly accumulating debt the nursing home was accruing. Dean and Rachel eventually moved to Tender Nest nursing home in Laurel where they resided for several months. During this time Dean expressed a wish to visit his mother, then nearly a hundred years old, who lived at a home in Miles City. This was done using a van. That was the last time he saw her for she passed away several months later. Because of Dean's medical needs, he and Rachel were next moved to the Tender Nest facility in Billings. where they resided until his passing August 2, 2017. In his last years, Dean did all he could to make sure Rachel was taken care of after he was gone. Consequently, she will continue to live at Tender Nest, where she reads and regularly engages in games of Bingo with other residents. Everyone owes a debt of gratitude to Joyce Wertz, Financial Advisor, with Adult Protective Services, for all the guidance and help she provided Dean, and continues to provide to Rachel. Our sincere condolences go out to Dean's sons and their families, his surviving sister, and to his grand children and great grand children. He was truly a fine and honorable man who we are all proud of. We will all miss him. Auzie and Marilyn Blevins September 8, 2017