ABOUT US: We celebrate our 47th anniversary August 15
Gladys was born in Alberta, Canada but moved to the United States when she was a year and a half. They lived in eastern South Dakota where her daddy was a farmer. Most important my family life centered around the church. It is through my mother and the church I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. My church family sent me to Pillsbury Baptist Bible College where I met my husband. Teaching children about the Bible has always been very important to me.
Dean's father was in the military so Dean was born in 29 Palms, California From California they moved to Kentucky and Florida. When his dad got out of the military Mr. Beaty became a pastor and they lived in Indiana, Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota and Illinois. Dean accepted Christ as Savior at a very early age. He went to school at Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC. He had a car accident which caused him to transfered to Pillsbury Baptist Bible College where he met and married Gladys. Dean finished college in Texas and became assistant pastor in Oak Lawn, Illinois. He later pastored several small churches in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. After 25 years of pastoring we left to work in children's homes in North & South Carolina. We are retired and make our home in Mauldin, SC. We have been married 43 years.
When Dean retired he started writing songs and poetry. When he had his stroke in March 11, 2007 he became disabled. Writing poems has really given Dean renewed purpose to his life.
OUR FAMILY:
We have three daughters. Michelle, the oldest, is married to Kurt Petterson who works at Bob Jones University. They reside in Greenville, SC. They have three children. Lydia, Leah, & Eric.
Our middle daughter Kimberly is married to James Watkins who works with computers. They reside in Mauldin, SC. They have one son Hunter, who has a terminal disease, twins Brayden and Lauren and Kimberly has a son from a previous marriage, Tyler.
Our youngest daughter Carolyn is married to Matthew Clay who works for Microsoft. They live in Bloomington, Il. They have two children, Alexis, and Nicholas.
Carolyn created a website for Hunter and for Dean's Poems. If you would like to see more pictures of our family click on:
http://www.carolynclay.com/Hunter%20Watkins.htm
This is the address to Dean's Poems:
http://www.biblepoemsbydean.com
OUR BUSINESS:
We bought our website in April of 2006 to help suppliment our retirement.
We started to sell Pepper Spray because Dean saw how effective it was when he experienced it in training at Prairie Correctional. The income from our website has become helpful since Dean had the stroke.
Recently we decided to expand our site to include Home Security.
Our friends, Bill and Judith Willis, survived a home invasion on September 4th, 2007. This woke us up that this could happen to anyone. If you would like to read their story go to our website. http://www.peacemakerpepperspray.com/page/1279212
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Just to Give you more incite into our lives:
OUR LOVE STORY OF 44 YEARS
Dean and I met on April Fool's Day during my first year of Bible College in Minnesota. My husband being very impetuous asked me to marry him within weeks. I was 18 and Dean was 21.
We were married August 15 that year. Could a marriage like this last? God in his goodness has brought us through. After we were married we stayed out of college a year, living in a suburb of Chicago, then returned to finish College in Garland, Texas. God provided scholarships from Dean's work to pay college bills. Our first daughter Michelle was born there.
After college Dean became a Music and Youth Pastor in a church in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Two more daughters were born, Kimberly and Carolyn.. After three year Dean was ordained and felt it was time to take his own church. Our house sold and we were to vacate the end of February. We had no place to go. Dean candidated in a church toward the end of February. We were ready to move on a Monday but did not know yet where. The church in Wisconsin called us on Sunday night before the move. God answered our prayer just in time.
Thus we moved to Wisconsin. Dean pastored there for just over 6 years. So many memories and the fun we had as we grew up together. We had two motorcycles with child seats on the back. Dean would ride the youngest on his back and one more in the child seat. What would the law say today? We had a young church and they loved the contests we thought up and the church grew.
Through some difficulties we decided to move to Greenville as Dean wanted to take some classes at Bob Jones. He worke selling Real Estate and became a top salesman. With the girls in school and Dean’s work, he couldn't quite find the time for school. After only a couple of years, our pastor recommended Dean to a church in Iowa. (What a trial)
We moved to Iowa in November and left the next June. It was not a match made in heaven. That summer Dean helped his mother fix up a log cabin.
Before the girls started school, Faith Baptist Church of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois called Dean as pastor. We lived in St. Joseph, a small town nearby so that the girls could go to a Christian school. Our family grew up here. We had the joy of Bible Schools, Christmas programs, Cantatas and God giving the increase in our church. I worked as church secretary. Our church was in a bad area of town with quite a run down building. We worked to fix it up and our church grew. We bought land and built a beautiful building that would seat 250 people. Michelle finished college and Kimberly was married. After nearly twelve years, it was time to move on but Carolyn stayed behind.
I had worked at a children's home so we got a job at a children's home in North Carolina, working with teenage boys. A year proved about all we could take. We had bought a home in Greenville, S.C. and commuted, as we would be on duty 10 days 24/7 and then off 5 days.
In 1992 we accepted a call to a very small church in Indiana, but before we moved Michelle came by to tell us she was expecting our 1st grandchild. We were unable to sell our house so we rented it. We cried as we left, we were so very tired. Dean pastored this small church in a very small town for three years. After living in large towns it was a difficult and lonely ministry.
We decided to go back and work in the children's home again, this time it was work a week 24/7 and off a week. We stayed with Kimberly and her husband during our time off. We worked with teenage girls, a very different and difficult job. We were there nearly a year and were able to pay off our home in Greenville.
We were ready to move back in our home in Greenville. But in that we had rented it, we had to live with our oldest daughter while waiting 9 months for our renters to move out. By then Michelle had two children. We were all living in a two bedroom, one bath house and slept on a fold out couch in the living room. Dean got a job as a motor coach driver so he was gone a lot. At least I did not have to be alone.
How good it felt to finally get back in our home. We knew now why God had not allowed it to sell. I worked at several other children's homes. This time it was 8 hour days which was much easier. Dean got a better job and I was able to quit. He started writing poems and songs which he performed in church. He started a business with a friend which went fairly well.
A little over a year ago Dean had a stroke. He is now disabled on his left side. He writes Christian poetry and puts it on a website http://www.biblepoemsbydean.com and I have a website selling Pepper Spray and home security products. My website is, http://www.peacemakerpepperspray.com .
Our married life has been a moving experience, as we have moved 18 times. We have lived in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, South Carolina, Iowa, Indiana, and North Carolina. Where ever Dean is, is where I call home.