Frank Dean Hofreiter

FRANK DEAN HOFREITER Graveside services for longtime Dolores resident Frank Dean Hofreiter will be held at 2 p.m. on Monday, October 26 at Summit Ridge Cemetery. Military honors will be provided by Ute Mountain American Legion Post #75. Frank Dean Hofreiter was born in Alton, Ill. on December 11, 1934. He passed away at his home in Dolores on October 21, 2009 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was preceded in death by his mother, Edna Marie Hofreiter; by his father, Harry Lewis Hofreiter; and by his step-mother, Lu Hofreiter. Dean, as he was known by friends and family, moved to Kingman, Ariz. with his father after losing his mother to leukemia in 1945. He grew up in the Kingman area. His father, Harry, built the first brick plant in Kingman and then in 1957, purchased a ranch in Wikieup, in the Verde Valley of Arizona. In 1958, Dean joined the U.S. Army where he achieved the rank of Sergeant, and he served in Korea. Dean returned home to work with his father, Harry and step-mother, Lu on the ranch which existed in their care and development for a period of 17 to 18 years. Dean was very proud of the ranch he helped make a success. Being a rancher required being everything from a heavy equipment operator to being a veterinarian handling all that comes with raising cattle. They farmed the land, raising their own cattle feed. Dean had many fond memories of time spent with his father on hunting and fishing trips. Many fishing trips were made to Lake Mead when fishing for largemouth bass, crappie, walleye, and other species were in their heyday. After Dean's father passed away in 1978, he left the ranch life and moved to Cornville, Ariz. After residing there for some time, Dean moved to Colorado where he purchased a home on Summit Ridge in Dolores. Dean loved the out-of-doors and he also took great pride in the boats, vehicles, and equipment he owned in his lifetime. Anyone taking the time to look at his 20 year old Ranger bass boat would have thought it just came from the factory. Dean kept all his equipment in pristine condition and loved to do so. He also loved to plant a garden each year and his tomato plants yielded wonderful tomatoes that he shared with his many friends in the community. Dean's "best buddies" were his little female Yorkie dog named "Punkin" and his cat "Mr. T" and what joy and comfort they each brought him in life. Dean left this earthly abode much too soon and will be missed and mourned by the many wonderful friends he made in this life. Dean leaves behind a step-brother, Scott Fails and wife, Claudia of Dolores; a cousin, Ardyth Ruth of Green Valley, Ill.; and a nephew, Robert Rudolph of Martinez, Calif. Memorial contributions may be made in Dean's memory to Hospice of Montezuma, P.O. Box 740, Cortez, Colo. 81321.