Ralph James Dean, Sr.

Ralph J. Dean Sr. - Director - Fraternal Order of Police – District 5, passed away suddenly on April 26, 2015. Ralph was the Director of the Fraternal Order of Police District 5, which oversees Broward, Henry, and Collier Counties Ralph graduated from Hermitage High School, and Benedictine Military College in Richmond, Virginia. He served with the Henrico County Division of Fire as a Driver Engineer for six years. Ralph was the Vice-President of training for the Lakeside Rescue Squad during this same time period and he held that position for 6 years. In 1968, Ralph moved to Ft. Lauderdale. In 1970, while still working for Allied Stores, Ralph started his career in law enforcement as a Ft. Lauderdale Police Reserve Officer. Then, in 1973, Ralph was hired as a patrolman for the Lauderhill Police Department. Ralph was promoted to Sergeant after just four years of service as a patrolman and was the first police officer to be trained as a paramedic in the State of Florida. Ralph was a member of the faculty at the Miami Dade Community College, Department of Emergency and Critical Care Technology, where he taught RMT and Paramedic courses for a period of 5 years. Ralph also served as one of fifty National Affiliate Faculty members for American Heart Association for ACLS and BCLS. Ralph has received numerous honorary awards throughout his career: the Silver Star for Bravery and Combat Cross, American Law Enforcement Officers Association, Washington D.C. Fraternal Order of Police, Florida State Lodge Member of the year in 1983 and 1991, Officer of the year Lauderhill Police Department, 1978 Meritorious Service Award, American Heart Association, Lifetime Honorary Membership International Association of Firefighters, to name a few. Because of his love for the sea, he became a member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. During his 10 years of service he held the following positions: Materials Officer, Training Officer, Public Relations Officer, Administration Specialist, and Boating Safety Instructor. Duties included search and rescue missions and boating safety patrols along the South Florida coast. Ralph also served as Drum Major with the Police Pipe and Drum Corps of Florida. This band is made up of law enforcement officers and firefighters from the South Florida area. He is the Coordinator of toy distribution from the Toys in the Sun Motorcycle Toy Run that is held annually. This program assists over 20,000 underprivileged children of families in Broward County. When Lauderhill transitioned to the Broward Sheriff’s Office, Ralph continued to serve as a Sergeant in the road patrol, community relations and specialized service divisions under the direction of Sheriff Robert Butterworth and Sheriff George Brescher. Ralph continues to serve as the Director of the Fraternal Order of Police and is actively involved in community projects across Broward County. Ralph also serves on the State FOP level as Chairman of the Communications, Computer and Member Data Committee as well as Chairman of the Florida State Lodge Labor Committee. Ralph as is involved in the Shiner’s Hospital for Children, which is an international fraternity of approximately 500,000 members throughout the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Panama, The Shriners Hospitals for Children, is a network of 22 hospitals that provide expert, no-cost orthopedic and burn care to children under 18. Ralph is survived by his wife, Kathleen; his son Ralph Jr. (Jetty) of Richmond, VA; daughter, Marie Huss (Paul), of Boca Raton; six grandchildren, Rocky, Amber, William, Charles, Rebecca, and Damon; sisters-in-law Candy Witters and Tina-Louise Hellman (Matt) of Plantation; brother-in-law, Harold Bradley (Ronda) of Georgia; nieces, nephews and extended family. In his memory donations may be made to the Shriners Childrens Hospital or the Florida State FOP Police Memorial. Family will receive friend on Thursday, April 30th from 3:00 PM to 7:00PM at T.M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home 7001 NW 4 Street Plantation, FL 33317. A Masonic Service will be held at 6:30 PM. Funeral services will be held at All Saints Catholic Church 10900 West Oakland Park Blvd. Sunrise, FL on May 1st at 2:00 PM. Cremation arrangements by T.M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home.