Dean Nolan Narramore, aged 76, passed away at Tri-State Hospital on January 28, 2016, with his family by his side, after a long battle with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.   

Dean was born June 24, 1939, in Phoenix, Arizona, to Rubye Mae Cantrell Narramore and Claude (Pete) Thomas Narramore. He was raised in Buckeye, Arizona, and graduated from Buckeye Union High School in June of 1957. 

Dean's father was a general contractor, so Dean started working in construction and carpentry work at a very young age. He also started his long music career as a young teenager. His first marriage to Sue Mitchell ended in divorce, but left him with his son, Stormy Dean Narramore. His second marriage also ended in divorce. He met his current wife, Anne Austin, in Reno, Nevada, in September of 1967, and after knowing each other for two weeks, Dean and Anne were married in Reno, September 21, 1967.  Their daughter (Kimberly) Cody was born in Juneau, Alaska, on December 14, 1968. Dean and Anne had been married 48 years when Dean passed away.

Dean was a multi-talented, 24/7, type of guy. He always had several jobs going at the same time, but his main love was the music industry. Dean started his music career in Arizona playing guitar, bass and drums and singing for many different groups. Dean was playing music in Nevada when he and Anne got married. After the move to Ketchikan, Alaska, and then Skagway, Alaska, they and daughter Cody toured from Alaska to the Mississippi, booking through a Seattle agency and then forming their own booking agency and publishing house. Dean played guitar and Anne played keyboards during the first part of their career, with both of them singing. They began to use Clarkston, Washington, as their home base in 1974. When Stormy graduated from High School, he moved to Clarkston and joined the group, playing drums with them for a year. Cody then played keyboards and saxophone for 10 years with Mom and Dad.

Dean and Anne also started the first recording studio in the Lewiston/Clarkston area. Dean built the entire studio and wired every part of the many different sound stations. Dean was a natural recording engineer with an ear for perfectly blending the music of many groups into records, tapes and demonstration tapes for advertisement. They also made commercials and produced and recorded the sound tracks for the TV show CC Rider on KLEW TV in 1983, with Dean doing the background production, Anne singing on each show and Dean laying down tracks for the show, along with Stormy and many local musicians.  They also had a small music store at the time. All of their businesses were listed under the name DeAnNe Studio.

Dean was instrumental in starting many musicians on the road to a career they loved. He always said if you worked with the Naramors, you were going to sing, so each drummer that was hired wound up singing, even if they had never done so before. He had a charisma on the bandstand that no one forgot. Many people came just to listen to what words Dean would put to the many different songs they requested. He had a boundless energy and a love for life and laughter. Dean always worked several jobs at a time, doing construction work, working for the narrow gage railroad in Skagway, Alaska, doing finish carpentry work and building the first medical center in Skagway. He also worked at the Morgan Brothers Warehouse as a warehouseman and truck driver for 11 years and then drove truck for Baker Truck Lines and Puget Sound Trucking, while still playing music and recording.

After Dean retired due to the onset of Alzheimer's, he still stayed active. He worked as the Range Officer Coordinator at the Lewis Clark Wildlife Club for years, doing target shooting with his many guns and reloading his ammunition. He also helped with the many projects at the club. He also volunteered for both Clarkton and Lewiston libraries, repairing many books on tape.

Dean was preceded in death by his mother and father, Rubye and Pete Narramore. He is survived by his wife Anne, daughter Cody Austin and husband Ryan Hughes from Forest Grove, Oregon, son Stormy Narramore, from Phoenix, Arizona, and grandson Tyler Dean Conner, from San Diego, California.

Dean requested a celebration of his life, which will be held on February 7, 2016, from 1-5 pm, at the Clarkston Moose Lodge in the upstairs ballroom. There will be food, music, and sharing of "Dean" stories. The cremation was done by Malcolm Brower-Wann Funeral Home, and you may sign the guest book online at http://malcomsfuneralhome.com.

The family suggests donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association online at www.alz.org/donateor checks may be mailed to the Alzheimer's Association Washington State North Tower, 100 W Harrison Street, N200, Seattle, WA 98119. The family also suggests donations may be made to the Lewis Clark Wildlife Club, PO Box 146, Lewiston, ID 83501.

I picture Dean heading into his next adventure, carrying his guitar, riding his motorcycle, and looking for the next person to help. As fellow musician Marty Lukenbill stated, "He was a giant of a man."

Service Information

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Sunday, February 7, 1:00 PM

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Moose Lodge
814 6th Street
Clarkston, Washington 99403

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