Dean Francis Herrmann, 87, passed away peacefully Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at his home in Rochelle, Illinois.  Dean was born on May 31, 1938, the fifth of nine children to Edwin and Martha (Sauter) Herrmann in Waterman, IL.  On December 28, 1961, he married Janet "Jan" Casey in Sterling, IL. They created and grew their family in the Rochelle area where they raised five children: Brian, Sheila, Evie, Deana and Shawn.  After Jan passed in 2005, he married Joannie (Caspers) Ahlensdorf, on January 18, 2007 in Rochelle.

Dean attended University of Illinois and worked for IBM after college. He returned to his roots and started farming with his brother-in-law, Larry Casey. They added selling Arctic Cat snowmobiles out of the shop during the off-season. He was also the "H" in the original MFCH Trucking Company. They expanded the retail side of things and opened Southgate Sun & Snow on the south edge of Rochelle where they added John Deere snowmobiles, lawn and garden equipment as well as Grady-White Boats. This is when his passion for collecting John Deere toys and memorabilia started! Dean decided he liked the mechanical side of things more than farming, so Dean took over Sun & Snow until he sold the business in 1989. He went to work as head of maintenance at the Best Western Hotel for a few years. He then went to work at Rochelle Elementary Bus Garage as the Director of Transportation/Mechanic, until they merged with the high school. He then finished his career as a teacher of auto repair at Kishwaukee Education Consortium. After he retired, he continued to repair small engines out of his shop at home.

He was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic church for 60 years. He loved singing in the choir, and sang for many funerals and nursing home visits. He was a member of the Lions Club for many years, and after his retirement, was a member of Golden K's, where he received the Walter Zeller Fellowship award and Kiwanis of the Year in 2019. Dean was known to be able to fix almost anything – a true jack- of-all-trades. More importantly, he was known for his laughter, his big bear hugs, and always had a joke (or 3) to tell! He was a man who loved with his whole heart and wasn't afraid to tell you. Dean's door was always open and he loved when people just stopped by for a visit. The family has many great memories of such visits, as well as snowmobiling, impromptu volleyball games and big family gatherings with many joke fests!

Dean is survived by his wife, Joannie of Rochelle; five children: Brian (Sheila) Herrmann of Steward, IL, Sheila Berg of Rochelle, Evie (Denny) Musselman of Dixon, IL, Deana Blevins of Shelley, ID and Shawn (Dave) Higgs of Richmond, IL; two step sons: Dustin (Sheila) Ahlensdorf of
St. Germain, WI and Shad Ahlensdorf of Rockford, IL; three sisters:  Helen (Mick) Finnestad of Rochelle, Ruth (George) Wixom of Mendota, IL and Donna (Bob) Waters of Steward, IL; two sisters-in-law: Pat Casey of Rochelle, Marjorie Casey of Davis Junction, IL; 14 grandchildren:
Joseph (Sarah) Herrmann, Lance (Lindsey) Herrmann, Elora and Garrett Berg, Cole (Brenna) Hedrick, Elyse (Dylan) Fisher, Isaac (Tara) Musselman, Cheyane (Devon) Merz, Sierra (Matthew) Rutten, Brynn (Cole) Barnett, Hunter (Taralyn) Blevins, Gavin, Jackson and Grace Higgs; two step grandchildren: Alyse and Braden Ahlensdorf; 20 great grandchildren: Haleigh, Zachary, Landon, Kimber, Kendra, Leo, Axel, Wyatt, Oakley, Colton, Lucy, Luke, Rin, Clara, Bria, Barrett, Ryder, Eileene, Aspynn and Myra and many wonderful nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents and wife, Jan, Dean is preceded in death by his granddaughter, Cora Higgs; son-in-law, Christopher Blevins; three brothers: Kenny, Arvene and Vince and two sisters: Lillian Larson and Mary Munn.

The visitation will be from 3:00 - 6:00 P.M., Sunday, November 23, 2025 at the Unger-Horner Funeral Home, 400 N. 6th St., Rochelle.  The funeral service will be held at 11:00 A.M., Monday, November 24 at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 236 Kelley Drive, Rochelle with Father Jesus
Dominiguez officiating.  A luncheon will be served at the parish center immediately following the funeral service. A private family burial of his ashes at Lawnridge Cemetery in Rochelle will follow at a later date.  Memorials may be made in Dean's memory to Serenity Hospice and
Home, who the family would like to thank for all their care and support during the last couple months. A special thanks to the M&M twins. Visit www.ungerhorner.com to sign the online guest book.