Dean Richard Gustafson
Dean Gustafson
Dean Richard Gustafson, born Sept 6, 1963, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, passed away among loved ones on April 24, 2026, at the age of 62 in Seattle, Washington, after a valiant battle with ALS.
Throughout his creative and colorful life and his travels and interests, he developed his talents and skills, gathered perceptions of life, and a lot of friends. He was truly a master Renaissance man, with a deep understanding of love of the arts, music, literature and science of ages past and present. He chased down and sketched runestones during a trip to Sweden, rendering many into paintings. While in Europe, he visited some of the finest art museums. He studied fine art at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and at the Art Academy of San Francisco, where he was a favored teacher, and which gave him the technical and artistic skills to express his thoughts, imagination, and surroundings.
He had a successful career as a graphic artist for Midnight Design in the infancy of web development. Dean chanted James Joyce while walking down Haight Street with the Cacophony Society of San Francisco; studied trigonometry so that he could build his own telescope out of scratch (grinding his own mirrors) under the tutelage of John Dobson, and shared visions of the night skies with passers-by on the sidewalk; learned carpentry skills working with our brother Brian at Con:struct; he was the first drummer at the Burning Man festival and studied calculus to construct a human sun dial in the desert there; listened to Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle, jazz, classical guitar – but most of all he loved the Beatles and the Grateful Dead. That music, and similar, was always resounding from his room. He counted time by the concerts that he visited and was extremely generous and thoughtful in sending cassettes, and later CDs, of Grateful Dead and other concerts to us that happened on our birthdays. He was strong and could bike up to the top of Mount Tamalpais in the San Francisco Bay Area and back before breakfast. These are only a few insights into his life.
And then it happened…
Dean had been suffering under ALS, Lou Gehrig’s disease, over the past 12 years, ultimately restricting his physical motion. His spirit, however, was not diminished and this proved his strength and resilience, to the awe and admiration of all of us. Once he discovered this diagnosis, he decided to move from San Francisco to San Rafael to be closer to Phil Lesh’s Terrapin Crossroads rock restaurant. He had mapped out a route from his new digs to there in his motorized wheelchair. He communicated freely and regularly with an eye tracking device on his computer, composing and responding to emails from friends and family and writing his memoirs and detailed essays. One essay was about our cabin in Buffalo, Minnesota. He solicited memories from all his brothers and sisters spent there that spanned over 20 years and compiled them into one essay. Over the decades, he had created hundreds, thousands, of sketches– many inspired by his (quite bizarre) dreams. These past few years he decided to hold weekly contests with his friends: “Name the sketch”. The submitted titles were as bizarre as his sketches. The winner received the framed sketch as a reward. Dozens of his friends and family enthusiastically participated. These two examples showed how engaged he was with all of us. Coming up to this April, one of the staff members at Bailey-Boushay House organized an art show of his sketches in a local coffee shop. Dean attended the show and his wide smile showed his profound appreciation. This was a week before he contracted pneumonia and the covid virus.
Dean was preceded in death by mother, Frances; father, Donald; brother, Brian. Survived by siblings, Gary, Grant (Lory), Craig (Karen), Jill (Corey), Joni (David); nieces and nephews, Beth, Kim (Tara), Jennifer, Casey, Jesse (John), Lauren (Sebastian), Leif, Jan, Ben, Jordan, Arwen, Marion; great nieces & nephews, Henry, Greta, Derek, Dominic, Willow, Axel, Tiger Lily; the love of his life, Lenore; and his many, many friends. We will all miss his radiance dearly.
Celebrations of his life are being held in Minneapolis, Seattle and on Mount Tamalpais.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Bailey-Boushay House, that took such good care of him for six years:
https://connect.virginiamasonfoundation.org/bailey-boushay/donate
4 Responses to “Dean Richard Gustafson”
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Dean was a great friend and inspiration for many years, especially during art school. There was one year when I took a break from the illustration department to spend time in the fine art department. I wanted to focus on figure drawing and painting as well expand into printmaking. It became habit to visit the painting studios in the Sutter building to observe the process and progress of the various artists at that time. Dean was one of the painters that was subject to my constant loitering and admiration. Over the decades since, we had a number of amusing adventures, especially when the cacophony society was involved.
I had a conversation with him a few years back and was fortunate to express my gratitude to him for all the inspiration over the years.
He will be missed.
-Kevin
From a Halloween party at friend Jack’s place in 1982 to a rediscovering of each other decades after we split, (back on my birthday in 2021) to vows we shared and ultimately kept to each other in spite of our differences, “The long and winding road” always lead us back to each other.
Navigating at times monthly trips from MSP to Seattle, and most often daily e-mails we in the end stayed connected through all of the miles. Your family was gracious, supportive and kind through all of it.
Dean exuded life from every pour of his body. Dean lived with an unmistakable joy in life, an intensity even in his great challenges and the deep loses of ALS. I will carry his love and mine through the rest of my life.
Dean introduced me to the Beatles around 1976. On a tiny turntable in his tiny upstairs bedroom.
Growing up our neighborhood was unlike any I’ve experienced since. Our adventures took us far from the safety of our block. “Where have you been ALL day, my mom would say……?
Out with Dean, I would reply.
And countless visits to Lake Pulaski searching to add to our beer can collections and driving his minibike on the unpaved roads.
I’m an eternally greatful to have reconnected with him after 40 plus years this past winter. I was eagerly awaiting my 3rd opportunity to name that sketch…..
I’m still amazed that Dean’s memory was so crystal clear after all these years.
My last message to him included a photo of their family home from the street, and one of the back yard (without the sandbox). April 7th.
I explained that I made it home to spend the last day with my father before he passed away.
Part of Deans reply to me April 17 was, “only observation I know, is parents don’t leave us. The impressions run deep. Appreciate the memories and all Dad gave you. I would have responded sooner, but a week in the hospital with COVID, pneumonia and ALS slows us down.
So now whenever I hear a Beatles song, I will fondly remember my friend who introduced me to them so many years ago 🙏🫶
Dean was a kind brother and a profound inspiration to me and to all of us. His light shone ever brighter even as his illness advanced, and a more resilient spirit I have never met. He and I connected as buddies because we were both drummers and loved all kinds of music and the outdoors. We also shared a love of the city of San Francisco, its landscape and counterculture. When such a shining person as Dean leaves us, all we can do is be thankful that we knew him for a time, and try to pay it forward in his memory. Enjoy your eternal freedom in the stars, Dean. I’ll look for you up there. Pete