Dean Loren Knutson

Dean Loren Knutson,

64, Mitchell, SD, died on

November 28, 2018 at Ab-

bott Northwestern Hospi-

tal in Minneapolis. Dean’s

passing was sudden and

unexpected as a result of

bacterial meningitis. A

Celebration of Life will be

planned for spring 2019

in Mitchell, SD.

Dean was born in

Minot, ND, on September

17, 1954 to Ernest and

Greta (Grindberg) Knut-

son. He was raised on the

family farm in Kongsberg,

ND where he attended a

one-room school house.

In 1968 his family moved

to Velva, ND where he

went to high school.

Dean was united in

marriage with Kimberly

Degenstein on March 13,

1982 in Velva, ND. They

welcomed their first

daughter, LeAnn, in

March 1983. At the time,

Dean worked construction

which moved them from

ND to North Carolina

where in November 1984

they became a family of

four when their second

daughter, Mallory, was

born. In 1985, they moved

to Texas.

They returned to ND in

1986 where Dean worked

with has Dad doing home

construction, and later for

Souris River Telephone

before enrolling in school

at NDSCS in Wahpeton,

ND in 1990. In 1991 they

moved to Mitchell, SD

where he graduated from

the Satellite Communica-

tions program at Mitchell

Technical Institute. After

graduation, they moved to

Pierre, SD where Dean

worked for the State of

SD. In 1997, they moved

back to Mitchell where

Dean was an instructor in

the Satellite Communica-

tions program at Mitchell

Technical Institute. Be-

cause Dean was an ambi-

tious man who liked to

challenge himself, he

went to work for Martin

Group/CHR Solutions in

2005 as a Technical Sup-

port Specialist and then

in 2010 Dean became

Owner/Operator of a suc-

cessful Matco Tools fran-

chise. In 2018 he closed

his business to become a

District Manager with

Matco Tools. He was very

excited about this new op-

portunity.

The light of Dean’s life

was his family. Grateful

for having shared his life

are his wife Kim,

Mitchell; his daughters

LeAnn (Brian) Kerin and

Mallory Knutson (Brent

Imhoff), all of Ft. Collins,

CO. Dean also has two

grandchildren who

brought him endless joy.

His 3.5-year-old grandson,

James Dean, shares Dean’s

name as well as his love

of cars, trucks, puzzles,

hats, and books. His 1-

year-old granddaughter,

Pepper Jean, shares

Dean’s birthday. He was a

very proud grandpa! Dean

is also survived by his sis-

ter Gale Knutson, brother

Ward Knutson (both of

Bismarck); brothers-in-

law Mike Tanner (Man-

dan), Lenny (Danielle) De-

genstein (Pierre), Carey

Degenstein (Mitchell); sis-

ter-in-law Marcia Degen-

stein, and mother-in-law

Dora Degenstein both of

Fargo, ND, and many

nieces and nephews.

Dean is preceded in

death by his parents, Er-

nest and Greta Knutson;

his grandparents; three

brothers, Gary, Boyd, and

Neal; his sister Laurie

(Trinneer) Tanner; four

nephews – Casey Knutson,

Joshua Kerzman, Jamie

Trinneer, and Jason Kerz-

man; two brothers-in-law,

John Kerzman and

Charles (Butch) Trinneer;

and his father-in-law

Clem Degenstein.

Memorials for Dean will

be directed to The Infinite

Hero Foundation and MTI

Foundation.