Obituaries published Nov. 16, 2019
April 17, 1939 - November 10, 2019
Dean Harlan Wallace, 80, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 10, 2019 in Bryan, Texas. A Memorial Service will be held 11 am Friday, November 22nd, at Covenant Presbyterian Church in College Station, Texas.
Dean was born to Jesse and Millie Jack Wallace in the small community of Osage, Texas on April 17, 1939. After attending his first two years of school Lin a one-room schoolhouse in Osage, Dean went to school in Crawford, Texas, where he graduated from high school in 1957. While in high school, he played football, basketball, and baseball. He spent much of his early years working on the family farm.
After graduating, Dean attended Tarleton Junior College, where he majored in engineering. He then went on to the College of Optometry at the University of Houston where he graduated in 1964. It was at the U of H where he met Shirley Rogers and began a love that would last for 55 years. They were married in October of 1964.
After working in Waco, Big Spring, and Dallas, Dean and Shirley moved to Bryan in 1970 where Dean opened his own Optometry Office and where he practiced for over 30 years. Dean always said he spent the first 25 years of his life working to get off the farm and the next 25 years working to get back on it. He purchased a small ranch in Brazos County and for the rest of his working years he would work at the office all day then head out to his ranch to work. He loved being outdoors and especially loved having his son with him, and teaching him to hunt and fish.
After retiring from Optometry, Dean found a new avocation that involved training his Labrador retrievers to compete in hunt tests all over the state of Texas. It was a time when Dean and Shirley made many new friends and enjoyed traveling together. Dean's other love was playing dominoes with the Turkey Creek Domino Club...a group that has played together for over 35 years. Dean also took up cooking and became well known for his famous chocolate pies and fudge that he would make at Christmas to give to friends.
More than anything, he loved having his grandchildren come to visit so he could take them out to the farm where they would ride on the tractor and catch fish in the pond. They brought him much joy as he taught them to love the outdoors.
Dean is survived by his wife, Shirley Wallace; son, Bradley Dean Wallace; two grandchildren, Morgan Wallace and Braden Dean Wallace; and his sister, Jessie Darden and her husband, Joe.
Memorials may be made to Covenant Presbyterian Church, 220 Rock Prairie Rd., College Station, TX 77845 or Twin City Mission, 410 S. Randolph, Bryan, TX 77803. Arrangements are in the care of Callaway-Jones Funeral and Cremation Centers, Bryan-College Station.
Express condolences at CallawayJones.com.
