Dean Jay Dopp, 82, of St. Anthony, Idaho, passed away peacefully on September 6th, 2022. He was diagnosed with Leukemia two weeks prior. As a member of the South Fremont County community for the last 57 years, his passing has caused an emptiness in the hearts of all of his friends and loved ones.

Dean was born to Ariel James Dopp and Thelda Estella Orchard Dopp. He was born on the first day of the new decade, January 1st, 1940, in Lewiston, Idaho. Dean was the second son. The family returned to Fort Hall, Idaho, shortly after the winter ended. He lived in Fort Hall for a short time before moving to Ogden briefly and then to McCammon for his school years.

Dean was the 2nd oldest son, following his brother Sidney, soon adding Arlan, Marlene, Delores, Fred, and Herb over the next 18 years.
He began his high school education at the newly created Marsh Valley High School. During those years he participated in varsity sports, lettering frequently in football, basketball, and track.

After high school, Dean had many jobs as he worked to pay his own way through college. Some of the jobs that he had were; moving railcars for the railroad, loading blocks of ice for the refrigerator cars, and at the Hells Canyon Dam. Dean was as hard of a worker as you could find; he was always working hard and earning his own way.

When Dean turned 21, he decided it would be a good time to take a break from education to serve the Lord on a mission. Dean served in the Western States Mission covering Montana, Wyoming, and parts of South Dakota from 1961-1963.
Upon his return, he enrolled at BYU where he enjoyed competing in intramural sports and being involved in everything sports related. As he chose a profession, he had a hard time deciding between physical therapy and physical education. He decided he would prefer to work with the youth in their physical development rather than the elderly in their physical repair. Little did he know that this decision would influence thousands of young people's lives over the next 32 years.

He graduated from BYU in 1964 and received his Master's in Education from BYU in 1965. But more importantly, he met the love of his life, Brenda Eborn. He knew she was the one right away. He wasted no time asking her to marry him. Within 3 weeks, they were engaged.
They were married on August 12, 1964, and by June of the next year, they had their first daughter, Myrna. Within that year Dean and Brenda moved to St. Anthony, Idaho.

Dean took a teaching and coaching job with the Fremont County School District. He was the South Fremont Junior High PE teacher and coach. He was affectionately referred to as "Coach Dopp" for the rest of his life.

While in Saint Anthony, Dean continued his teaching and coaching for the next 32 years, until his retirement in 1997. During those early years the following children were added to the Dopp family. Shari Dopp arrived in January 1968, followed by Alan after a long wait of four and half years. Alan Dean Dopp was born in July 1972. After that, two more sons were born. Brian Jay Dopp in May of 1974 and James Darrell Dopp in September of 1976. After more than a decade between daughters, LeeAnn Dopp arrived to finalize the family in July of 1979.

While living in St. Anthony, Dean and his family were active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They have always attended the 4th Ward. Dean served in numerous church callings throughout his life. Some of his calling included: Stake Mission President, Elders Quorum President, Scoutmaster, High Priest Group, Leadership, and Temple Worker in the Idaho Falls and Rexburg Temple. He was also a dedicated home teacher. He served three more missions with Brenda. They served together in the Bangkok Thailand Mission, Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Rexburg Humanitarian Room.

Shortly after retirement and his Thailand mission, Dean was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He spent time in Loma Linda, California, receiving treatments. Eventually, Dean triumphed over cancer and returned to a normal lifestyle.

Dean's hobbies included all sports! He also enjoyed hunting, fishing, golfing, and exploring the outdoors on motorcycles and 4-wheelers. He loved to visit with his friends and neighbors. He was a people-person and found something in common with everyone that he met.

Dean never lost his competitive spirit. He enjoyed competitions where he could demonstrate his skills and abilities while encouraging others to do the same. He strived to improve his personal records. This is shown by his hundreds of medals earned at the Idaho Senior Games and the Huntsman World Senior Games. In fact, his last competition was in July 2022 at the Idaho Senior Games in Pocatello. He still holds many state records at this present time.

Dean enjoyed spending time with his family. During the later years, grandkids were not in short supply. Dean and Brenda spent the latter part of life supporting and encouraging their 6 children, 29 grandchildren, and 23 great grand-children in all that they did. There were many trips across the country to watch marriages, baptisms, sporting events, birthday parties, and just "we missed you" visits.

Dean loved sharing stories. He especially loved sharing stories of his experiences and his family's accomplishments. He knew that families are what matter the most in life. This is where Dean's true love resided, in encouraging, teaching, and helping others to be their very best selves!

Dean is survived by his wife, Brenda of St. Anthony; children, Myrna (Trenton)Guthrie of Idaho Falls, ID; Shari Dixon of Lehi, UT; Alan (Margaret) Dopp of Ammon, ID; Brian (Kindra) Dopp of Lithia, FL; James Dopp of Meridian, ID; and LeeAnn (Tim) Draper of Washington, UT; Siblings, Arlan (Carol) Dopp of Monroe, UT; Marlene (Bruce) Thompson of McCammon, ID; Delores (Chuck) Knapp of Emmett, ID; Fred (Jo) Dopp of Fort Hall, ID and Herb (Jennifer) Dopp of Pocatello, ID; 29 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Sidney Ariel Dopp and grandson Damon Drex Dixon.

Funeral services will be Saturday, September 10, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. in the St. Anthony LDS Stake Center, 247 E. 4th N. The family will receive friends Friday from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. and Saturday from 1:00 p.m. until 1:45 p.m. both times at the church. Burial will be in the St. Anthony Riverview Cemetery under the direction of Bert Flamm Mortuary.

Funeral services will be live-streamed and may be viewed here: https://youtu.be/7-9EjfeuqM4