On September 26, 1975, at a Friday night football game in Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, Dean asked a petite blonde twirler named Pam for a date. She said she couldn’t—not until she turned 16 on Monday. By the next Friday, he asked her to Homecoming, then to be his girlfriend. She said yes. For the next fifty years, Pam kept saying yes and Dean, to our knowledge, never said no to her.
Dean died Monday in Harborcreek, Pennsylvania, in the community he spent his life. He was 66.
A skilled craftsman who could fix anything, Dean worked as a mechanic at Brink’s Auto before working at Otis Elevator Company until retirement. But his real work was taking care of people. He plowed neighbors’ driveways, stopped for strangers with flat tires, and made every one of Pam’s House Beautiful dreams come true—no matter how extravagant.
He was the guy with every tool you’d ever need, and he’d let you borrow it or, more likely, just come fix your problem. He loved kids and animals with equal enthusiasm, administered wet willies as a sign of affection, and was a reliable source of disruption at any church service or serious occasion, reducing children and adults alike to giggles.
Dean was everybody’s safe place: strong, smart, funny, and impossibly kind.
Early-onset dementia stole years from Dean and everyone who loved him, but it never stole who he was. He remained sweet until the end.
He is survived by his wife Pam (Kisiel); children Corey Brink and Deana Brotka (Scott); granddaughter Kinzlee Brotka; siblings Connie Heubel (Harold) and Larry Brink; mother-in-law Willie Bruce; and numerous in-laws, cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Autumn and Albert E. Brink Jr.
Friends may call at the Dusckas Funeral & Cremation Services Harborcreek, 5151 Buffalo Rd. (at Hannon Rd.) on Friday, February 13th from 2 to 4 PM and 6 to 8 PM and are further invited to attend a funeral service there on Saturday at 11 AM, to be conducted by Rev. Jean Kuebler. Interment will follow at Wintergreen Gorge Cemetery. Memorials may be made to an animal shelter of one’s choice. Condolences may be offered at www.dusckasfuneralhomes.com.
Posted online on February 11, 2026
Published in Erie Times-News