Dean Edward Brunner w as born in Steamboat Springs. Dean's grandparents, John and Anna , homesteaded in South Routt County in 1 905.  Dean's Dad, Val , was a real "old-time" cowboy, who, as a teenager, helped drive cattle on the Chis h olm Trail.  Val was in charge of the remuda, the string of horses. In his early 20's, Val became a foreman on J.N. McWilliams' Pleasant Valley Cattle Company.

Dean's mother, Mary Officer Brunner, and her family traveled by covered wagon from Blythedale, Missouri, and settled here in the Sidney area.  Mary Officer was the first teacher at the newly built Mesa Schoolhouse . V al and Mary Brunner were married at the Euzoa Congregational Church in 1921 and purchased a ranch at the base of Rabbit Ears Pass.  The re the y raised three children: Dean and his two sisters, Betty and Bobbie.

Dean attended school at the Mesa Schoolhouse, and at Steamboa t Springs High School .  He studied for estry at Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College (now CSU) .    A few months later , Uncle Sa m called.  Dean served in the Army Air Force s , during 1946-1 947 , as WWII was ending .  He was a Cryptographic Technician at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, in the 14 th Communications Squadron . Dean returned to the sta tes and earned a Bachelor's Degree in Economics at Colorado A & M .

Like his father before him, Dean the rancher and cowboy married a teacher lady, Joyce Peterson (Denver) in 1950 .  To this marriage, three children were born: Cheryl Dean, Cindy Ann and Monte Allen. In 1954, Dean and his Dad, Val, went into partnership on the r anch, calling it the " Val and Dean Ranch Company . " When Val retired in 1960, Dean continued to manage the ranch, renaming it "The Cross Seven Cattle Co m pany ." Later in Dean's life, he became a cattle buyer, at one point managing a s many as 36,000 cattle .

D ean mar ried Suzanne Peterson in 1967, then was remarried to Laveta June Gates in 1972 . De an sold ranch real estate for Remax in Montrose. He and Laveta bought a home in Montrose, Colorado, and began to spend winters there, and summers here in Routt County on their p lace here, at what they called "the cow camp." In the summer of 2014, the decision was made to sell wha t was left of the family ranch and for Dean and Laveta to live in Montrose, year round. The family will always remember the good times on the ranch.

Dean is survived by his wife of 44 years, Laveta June Gates Brunner; daughters, Cher i (Dave) Daschle and Cindy (David ) Rimel; and son, Monte (Christine) Brunner; and stepsons Rocky (Nancy) Wright, Bob Wright, and Roger (Deb ra ) Wright; nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren.