Rear Admiral Dean Lane Axene was born in Kansas City, MO August 1, 1923, the son of Oscar and Marlowe Axene and grew up in Columbus, OH.  He graduated in June 1941 from Upper Arlington High School, where he was captain of the football team his senior year.  He entered the U.S. Naval Academy in July 1941 where he played football and graduated in accelerated courses on June 7, 1944.  He was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy and married his high school sweetheart Sally Ann Haas on that same day.

His early Navy career was spent almost exclusively in submarines.  Highlights were:  two WWII war patrols in USS Parche (SS384), post-graduate work at MIT, commissioning Executive Officer USS Nautilus (SSN571), Commanding Officer USS Croaker, Officer in Charge Nuclear Power School, commissioning Commanding Officer USS Thresher (SSN593) and John C. Calhoun (SSBN630) Blue Crew.  Attendance at the State Department’s Senior Seminar in Foreign Policy was followed by assignments related to international relations in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and on the Staff of the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic. Admiral Axene retired July 1, 1974 following a tour as Deputy Chief of Naval Education and Training.  His awards included: Submarine Combat Control Patrol pin with 1 gold Star, Polaris Patrol pin with 2 gold stars, Bronze Star Medal with Combat V, Legion of Merit—3 awards, Great Star of Military Merit from the government of Chile.

Following retirement from the Navy, Admiral Axene spent eleven plus years with Westinghouse Electric Corporation in the Pensacola Division providing support to foreign licensees in the design and construction of commercial nuclear power plants located in England, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Japan and Korea. He retired from Westinghouse in September 1985.

Principal Community activities include having been a board member and officer of the following organizations:  Pensacola Council Navy League, Naval Academy Alumni Association, Pensacola Symphony Orchestra, World Trade Council and Scenic Hills Country Club.

Admiral Axene is survived by his wife of 64 years, Sally of Azalea Trace, Pensacola, FL; son, Eric Christopher Axene and his wife Janet of Columbus, OH; daughter Kristen Axene Wenning, and her husband Ronald Wenning of Lewisburg, PA; five grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; brother David Axene and his wife Jana of Hilton Head Island, SC; and sister Dareth Axene Gerlach of Columbus, OH.