DEAN L. CURTIS , 71, of Cherokee, Iowa, passed away Tuesday evening, June 5, 2018 in Unity Point Health-St. Luke's in Sioux City, Iowa following a brief illness.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m.  on Monday, June 11 ^th , at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Cherokee, Iowa . Pastor Jean Morse will officiate. Military rites will be held at the church on Monday by L.A. Wescott Post #2253 of the V.F.W. It was Dean's wish to be cremated. There will be no visitation. The Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa is assisting the family with the arrangements. Online condolences can be sent to www.boothbyfuneral.com

Dean was born July 15, 1946 at Cherokee, Iowa to Harry & Violet (Hicks) Curtis. He graduated from Cherokee Washington High School in 1964. He enlisted in the United States Navy in October of 1965 and served during the Vietnam War, being discharged in October of 1969. He was married to Vicki Engdahl on August 26, 1972 at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Cherokee. After moving to Aurelia in 1973, he had worked for Haselhoff Construction for a number of years, Curtis & Willis Construction Co., and had owned and operated Curtis Construction Co. for several years. He later worked as a custodian for the Aurelia Community Schools for 10 years before moving to Kansas City, Kansas. While there he was a custodian for the Johnson County Community College until he retired in 2010 and moved back to Cherokee to be closer to his family. He enjoyed time spent with his family, watching old westerns and lottery scratch tickets. He was a member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Cherokee.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers Thayne and David Curtis, and a sister Delores Tallman.

He is survived by his two children: Scott (Heather) Curtis of Des Moines, Iowa; Gwen VanHouten (Nick Putzier) of Mapleton, Iowa; 4 grandchildren: Mikah and Sophia VanHouten, Miles and Emily Curtis; his siblings; Dick Curtis of Cherokee, Iowa; Harlan (Trish) Curtis of Cherokee, Iowa; Harry Curtis of St. Joseph, Missouri;   Diane Dicks of Gassville, Arkansas; also several nieces and nephews.