Obituary of Harold Dean UPSHAW

UPSHAW, Harold Dean June 2, 1928 – December 15, 2013 Harold “Dean” Upshaw passed away after a brief illness on December 15, 2013 at the Strathmore Hospital at the age of 85. Dean came to us from his birthplace and hometown of Colfax Washington, relocating with his family in 1966 to Calgary, Alberta after spending many years overseas. In the 1950’s and 1960’s Dean worked as a construction superintendent with world renowned construction company Morrison-Knudsen, in which he co-ordinated the construction and pouring of the jet runways in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and later, similar projects near Saigon, Vietnam. Dean’s love of farming brought him to the wheat fields of Alberta, and eventually to the fertilizer business where he interacted with many area farmers and the Southern Alberta community. Combining experience, ideas, and technology with Stan Castella and Gordon Krune, he opened Cascade Fertilizer in Standard, Alberta in the 1970’s which serviced much of the area with agricultural fertilizer products as well as manufacturing the only source of chemical fire retardant in the province at that time. Dean was well known and well respected in the community through his time in the fertilizer business and made many lifelong friends during that time. Dean took great pride in the development and construction of the plant in Standard, Alberta, and his part in its long term success; as well as the team of men who he worked alongside of in the field and yard, several who today are still there now running the company. Dean is survived by his wife Beverley Upshaw; daughter Shannon Collens of Kelowna; his step children Chris Noble of Ponoka; and Kerry Noble of Strathmore; his sister Bonnie of Colfax, Washington; grandchildren Morgan and Madison Collens, Samantha and Bob Upshaw (Leslie), Mark Zanewick, Brittany and Matthew Noble; and his great grandchildren Hayden and Kelsey Upshaw. Dean was predeceased by his son Chris Upshaw in 1973; his first wife Lorraine in 2003; his son Randy Upshaw in 2013; his brother Kenneth; and his mother and father, Helen and Harold Upshaw. A Celebration of Dean’s Life will be held on Monday, January 13, 2014 at Hope Community Covenant Church at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please make donations directly to the Alzheimer Society of Calgary (201, 222 – 58 Ave S.W., Calgary, Alberta, T2H 2S3). To send condolences, please visit www.wheatlandfuneralhome.ca. Send Condolences