Harold “Dean” Lightle

Harold “Dean” Lightle went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. He was born on January 12, 1934, in Neal, Kansas. He was the son, and only child, of Helen and Harold Lightle.

When Dean was six years old, they moved to Grand Coulee so his dad could work on the dam. His family moved a lot due to his dad’s work; by the time he left high school, he had attended a dozen different schools. He graduated from West Valley High School, in the Spokane Valley, at age 17, having skipped the third grade as a child.

Dean attended University of Portland, and graduated in 1979 with a Master of Business Administration degree. He had many jobs in life. From selling cars, knives, pots & pans, and Fuller Brushes, to being a lab tech at Rainier Brewery in Spokane, Hollister-Stier Laboratories, Lamb-Weston, and several locations of ACME Personnel Service, then becoming Personnel Manager at Meier and Frank in Portland, Dean ultimately began working on his own from home.

Dean met Barbara White on April 3, 1953, at a Job’s Daughter International dance, after the Job’s Daughter International convention in Spokane. They went on a blind date that neither wanted to go on, and fell in love at first sight. Dean and Barbara were married on July 30, 1955. They were married for 65 years.

Dean was a member of Burlingame Baptist Church for most of his adult life. There, he served on many committees and boards. Missions were always close to his heart. His many other interests included fishing, deer and elk hunting, reading and writing books, and playing solitaire on the computer. Finally, he loved cars and found great joy in working on them. 

Dean passed at home with his wife, Barbara, by his side. In addition to Barbara, he is survived by his daughter, Julie Corning (b. 1957), son, Ronald Lightle (b. 1959), and grandchild, Timothy Dean Lightle (b. 1991).

Due to the virus, we are hoping to get together in the spring to celebrate Dean’s life.

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