B. Dean Aukerman, Class of 1966

Burhel ‘Dean’ Aukerman ’66 died Jan. 14, 2022. He was born Oct. 31, 1944, in Eaton, to the late Ralph and Mildred (Strothman) Aukerman. He attended Eaton High School and continued his education at Otterbein College for his B.S. in math. Later he enrolled at Wright State University for his master’s degree. He was a math teacher at Trotwood Madison High School for 31 years, where he also taught computer application classes and served as math department head.

In addition, he was the chess advisor at Trotwood. He continued to teach as an adjunct math instructor at Sinclair Community College well beyond his retirement from teaching high school. Along with his passion for golf and gardens, Dean, an amateur artist, was always looking for the next subject for a painting. Not only did he appreciate art and woodworking — he made a beeline for the booths with products made of wood at local festivals and art fairs and afterwards could always be found eating ice cream. He loved new cars and trucks (the word “used” was not in his vocabulary) and painstakingly made sure his vehicles were meticulously maintained. His philosophy was “If it ain’t broke, fix it,” which puzzled many a mechanic.

In addition to his parents, Dean was preceded in death by his oldest sister Shurel. He is survived by wife Sharon; son Chad Aukerman (Tracy) and daughter Jena Murray (Jon); five grandchildren, Melanie Kutter and Jase Aukerman and Paige, Tessa, and Talia Murray; his brother Arlen (Linda) and sister Quelda Renner (Richard); and close cousin Gene Aukerman (Carol).