Dean A. Oder, 82, of Oak Park, died on Jan. 31, 2024. He had an extraordinary intellect and loved to discuss books and history. He could talk about a book he read two decades ago like he read it yesterday, and also loved classical music, photography, and computers. He often approached his hobbies with a do-it-yourself mentality. Before the digital era he had his own darkroom where he developed his own photographs. He also built his own bicycle and taught himself to play guitar. An avid computer hobbyist since the early PC days, he passed on a familiarity with technology that would serve his children well. He was active with the Oak Park Photo Club and CityLine Bible Church (formerly Belden). Before retiring, he was a dedicated civil servant, working for the Social Security Administration for 37 years. He is sorely missed.
He was a devoted husband to Sheryl, and a loving parent to Michael and Elizabeth. He is also survived by his brother Dave and sister Debbie.
Visitation was held on Feb. 5 at Zimmerman-Harnett Funeral Home 7319 W. Madison St., Forest Park, with funeral service at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 6, meeting at CityLine Bible Church 7333 N. Caldwell Ave., Niles IL. Interment at Concordia Cemetery.