Dean Hempel

Dean Jacob Hempel, M.D. Dean was 97 years young. He passed away Feb 12 in Bloomington, MN. He was proceeded in death by his parents, 7 older siblings, beloved wife, Verona, and oldest son Monty. He is survived by his children: Mark ( Natasha), Susan ( Steve), Michelle (Tom), grandchildren: Emily ( Ryan) , Caitlin, Alia, Jared ( Melissa), Tanya ( Tony), Ellie, Katherine, great grandchil-dren: Zach and Luke, and by his special friend, Diane. Dean Served as a World War II combat infantryman,99th Infantry Division, in Europe during the Battle of the Bulge and the ensuing slow retreat and surrender of the German army ending in May 1945. Dean lived a life of continual learning. After graduating from University of Minnesota Medical School, he was a fellow at the Mayo Clinic. He returned to Mpls and started a Pediatric prac-tice in the 50' s and 60's. When he was 40, he moved his family ( reluctantly) to Topeka, to be-come a fellow in Child Psychiatry at the Menninger School of Psychiatry. He was an excellent listener, thus Psychiatry was a perfect fit. After a private practice in Child and Adolescent Psy-chiatry, he concluded his professional career as Staff Psychiatrist at the Amherst H Wilder Foundation in St. Paul. Upon retirement, he was an involved grandfather. He met for lunches, was a regular at games, and concerts. He was rewarded with rich relationships. He was not silly, but he loved humor. He had a twinkle in his eye, and a gentleness about him. When he spoke, words were not wasted. He was very focused on the conversation, and the more stimulating, the better. He loved his family. He and Verona were married close to fifty years. They were young at heart, embraced diversity, and loved their lake cabin. They created a warm and loving home, often in-cluding those who were in need of extra nurturing. After Verona died, Dean met Diane, who became his dearest friend, dance partner, and traveling companion. In his later retirement years he became interested and challenged in the course of regular ongo-ing discussion facilitating interfaith exchanges, with emphasis on those of a Muslim/Christian/ and Jewish faith, promoting religious good will, friendship, harmony, and inter-religious peace. Whatever his interests, or topics, he researched and studied with laser focus. He wrote schol-arly papers, and sent copies to his kids, asking for critiques. The homework never ended. Peace and harmony were his last and final threads, in the tapestry of his life. He will be greatly missed. He was a gem. " Let your life be your message." Gandhi Some of Dean's intrigue with human nature, as a psychiatrist, can be directly accessed in a se-ries of his essays via the following URL: denhoff93.medium.com Family Memorial video @ https://www.washburn-mcreavy.com Private internment at Fort Snelling Memorials to Habitat for Humanit

Tributes

Dean Hempel

January 23, 1926 - February 12, 2023

Tributes

Dean Hempel

January 23, 1926 - February 12, 2023

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