Mahon, Dean Michael, suddenly on October 18, 2016.
Born in Brooklyn on June 24, 1952, Dean attended St. Savier elementary school, graduating to Brooklyn Prep Jesuit High School. He earned a BA at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA, and after a brief period of work in New York he found his calling and joined the Peace Corp in 1974. He was posted to Cameroon for two years because, in his words, “they thought I spoke French”. He eventually did and continued after his two years of service to work for the Peace Corp as a trainer of new volunteers, and then on development projects for such agencies as USAID. He developed a love for Africa, specifically West African culture. After six years he returned to the US to start a lifelong career in the development of microcredit, such as credit unions and cooperatives, in many countries, developed and underdeveloped. When the Soviet Union collapsed, he helped to develop the Russian Credit Union League. He had a strong belief that the poor can help themselves, if they have access to small, low interest, loans by which they can grow their own living standards with independence and dignity, something the developed nations take for granted. His reputation grew over the years as he spread the seeds of this philosophy. He worked in over 80 countries and developed many friendships around the world. He was a founder of the Credit Union Development Educators program, started in Madison, Wisconsin 1982, when he was employed by the World Council of Credit Unions. This philosophy of educating people, to educate communities, of the principles of credit cooperatives spread to many countries. While living in Wisconsin, Dean went back to school and gained an MA from the University of Wisconsin, in Development Policy and Public Administration. It enabled him to access projects with UN agencies, USAID, the World Bank, and many more in numerous impoverished countries.
Dean loved his family, his work, traveling, the Red Sox, the Patriots, and food from around the world. He is predeceased by his mother, Mara M. (Magnozzi) Mahon, father Michael P. Mahon. He is survived by his beloved wife Hilda (Pedersen), adored daughter Elizabeth Dina Mahon, sisters Christine Ranieri, Lisa Mahon, Kerry Wheelehan, Nieces Mara Grace Ranieri, Melissa Semprit, Nora Wheelehan, Mara Wheelehan, Julia Wheelehan, Fiona Wheelehan, grandniece Marina Davey, grandnephew John Christian Davey, many cousins in Ireland and Italy, and not least his many wonderful friends.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Agatha Church, Milton, Friday morning, October 28th, at 10:30 am. Visiting hours will be held at the Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home, 326 Granite Ave., Milton Thursday, October 27th from 4 to 8 PM. Burial in Milton Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his memory to The American Heart Assn., P.O. Box 78851, Phoenix, AZ 85062-8851 or Doctors Without Borders, P.O. Box 5022, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5022.