Harold Dean Tedford

Harold Dean Tedford (86) reached the end of his life’s earthly journey on October 21, 2024. 

Family visitation will be Monday October 28th from 3-6PM at Heritage Funeral Home of the Big Bend 301 N Main St. Fort Stockton, Texas. Funeral services will be Tuesday October 29th from 2-3PM at the Pecos County Civic Center 1618 Airport Dr. in Fort Stockton, Texas with burial to follow at East Hill Cemetery.

Dean was born to JD and Vera Tedford in Seagraves, TX on April 2nd, 1938. He grew up in a large family with very little money, often eating whatever he was able to hit with a 22 rifle in those days and supplemented the family income by collecting bounties on jack rabbits. Known to most in Fort Stockton and the surrounding area, Dean apprenticed as a locksmith for his father in Lamesa and then served in the United States Army at age 18, deploying to France, before opening Tedford Lock and Key in 1964. He then spent the next 60 years serving West Texas. He ran the business for years as a moonlighting job while he worked at the Firestone proving grounds in Fort Stockton and went full-time upon his retirement from there in the mid 1980’s. Day and night, in extreme heat and cold, and even on the couple of days a year when it rained, Dean could be counted on to show up with a toothpick sticking out of his mouth, ready to get people taken care of and on their ways. The tales from locals who encountered Dean in his work throughout the years are far too many to tell but have always served as a source of pride for his large family. Anywhere someone from Fort Stockton was encountered, a story was soon to follow about a time he helped someone get into their vehicle, home, business or safe. A good bit of the time, the story would end with, “And he wouldn’t take a dime from me!” Dean’s kids and grandkids grew up getting up from meals or going out late at night to unlock a vehicle for an unfortunate local or traveler down Interstate 10 or Highway 67. He once took in a pair of cross-country bicycle riders who had been camped at a rest area trying to ride out a winter storm and insisted, they spend a couple of nights in his home until the weather improved and they could go on their way.He has likely been in just about every home and business in the Fort Stockton area at one time or another. From safe deposit boxes at the bank to residential and commercial safes that had been locked up for so long that no one really knew what was inside, Dean could always be counted on to do the job right and charge a fair price, when he charged at all.The technology involved in the locksmith industry grew immensely throughout his lengthy career, but Dean stayed up to date on the changes and methods to make sure he was able to serve his customers. His career began with skeleton-style keys and ended with programming keys with embedded computer chips. Dean was a constant for the West Texas community and treated everyone with fairness and dignity. His grandkids even remember hearing him telling a tourist in Big Bend National Park that it would be cheaper to break and replace a window than to pay his mileage and time to travel the three-hour roundtrip to unlock their car. He loved junk food and singing goofy words to old country songs as he went about his daily business locksmithing and fixing bicycles for the kids of Fort Stockton. Dean met the first love of his life, Jo Ann Blankenship, and they were married in 1961 until her death in 1982. He raised her two children, Bobby Holland from age 5 and Debra Holland from age 3, and never once even thought of them as step-children. Dean and Jo Ann welcomed their daughter Cynthia Lynn into the world in 1963.Dean met the second love of his life, Frances Roberson, and they were married in 1985. Dean welcomed her two adult children, Robbie and Becky Roberson, into his family just as he had done with Bobby and Debra so many years before. Dean and Frances remained in Fort Stockton where they hosted many holidays and special events with their growing family through the years. At the time of his death, Dean was a father to five, grandfather (Papa) to twelve, and great-grandfather to 16. At a large family gathering for his last birthday, he got choked up in recounting just how blessed he has been throughout his life. He never seemed to understand that the blessings he bestowed on others far surpassed those he enjoyed himself.He is credited (or blamed, depending on who you’re talking to) with getting pretty much the whole family to fall in love with fishing and camping. His entire family cherishes wonderful memories of time spent in the outdoors in campers, motor homes, tents, or on one of several boats he owned through the years. He always did his best to avoid teaching the kids in the family “new” words when his boats would inevitably fail to start up on the boat ramp early in the morning. His patience as a father and grandfather was unsurpassed, whether the grandkids were spewing Mountain Dew all over the inside of his new pickup or “accidentally” pouring motor oil into the radiator! These antics would be met with a quick reprimand immediately followed by forgiveness and a lesson on how to clean up and fix the mess. The lessons he taught were too numerous to count, but consisted mainly of working hard, loving friends and family, treating everyone with respect and honesty, and having as much fun as you can no matter what you’re doing. Despite living to the age of 86, Dean Tedford never grew old. He just simply wore out his body and spent his final years frustrated that it couldn’t keep up with him. Through decades following heart valve, ankle, and hip replacements, along with the retirements of most of his kids, he continued to work. He was recognized as Fort Stockton Man of the Year in 2016 and was also presented with “The Lock to the City” by the mayor of Fort Stockton (seeing as how he already had all of the keys to the city).Dean never spoke much of his Christian faith, but instead chose to live it out day-by-day in the way he treated others and ran his business. He knew actions spoke louder than words. His memory will be forever treasured by those who knew him. Dean is survived by his wife Frances Tedford; son Bobby Holland (Emma) of Balmorhea, TX; daughter Debra King (Richard) of Abilene, TX; son Robbie Roberson (Gina) of San Antonio, TX; daughter Cindi McGuairt (Russell) of San Antonio, TX; daughter Becky Reed (Kevin) of Searcy, AR. Grandchildren include Shauna Holland, Joseph King, Jeremy King, Justin Holland, Jessica Arteaga (McGuairt), Trevor Roberson, Jami Salazar (McGuairt), Jordan Davenport, Toni Johnson, Nathan Roberson, Zachary Roberson, and Cory Roberson along with 16 great-grandchildren and numerous loving nieces and nephews.