Basil Elwood

Basil “Dean” Elwood, 86, of Oxford, died August 25, 2026.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 1 at 1 p.m. at the Oxford Christian Church, 120 W Clark St, Oxford, KS. Graveside services will follow at the Oxford Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, August 31, at Oxford Funeral Service, 104 N Sumner, Oxford. Memorials in his name may be made to the Cowley County Humane Society and left in the care of the funeral home.

Dean was born on September 10, 1939, in Miltonvale, KS, to parents Charles R. Elwood and Verma Deal. He graduated from Wichita West High School, then attended WSU before working for Wonder Bread. He had various careers in life. He worked for National Life Insurance Company, where he received various awards. He then moved his family to Oxford. He was a deputy for the Oxford Police Department. He later worked for Boeing and was also a contract jig builder in Tennessee and Texas.

He managed the Wellington Salvage for many years before opening and owning Diamond Dean’s Pawn Shop in Wellington, KS. He very much enjoyed his pawn shop. He eventually closed Diamond Dean’s and went to work for Cessna and retired as a jig builder. He was united in marriage to Peggy Lowery (Wheeler), and together they had four wonderful children. They divorced after 17 years of marriage, and he then married Mabel “Karen”(Woods); they were married for 23 years. She preceded him in death in 1998. Dean loved riding his old Harley Panhead. In later years, you would see him cruising around Oxford on his Sportster with a sidecar or his red Corvette. He loved caring for animals, riding his horses, and being with his family.

Dean is survived by his children, Nick Elwood (Linda), Danielle King (Todd Gaskill), Catherine Zimmerman (Tim) and Jeff Elwood (Kelly), grandchildren Serena Flickinger (Tyler), Ethen Elwood (Marina), Lindsey King, Patrick King (Danielle), Chelsea Weaver (Kyle), Phillip Zimmerman (Tania), Rebekah Zimmerman, Elizabeth Schmidt (James), Rachel Hare (Ethan), Megan Elwood, and Jake Elwood, great-grandchildren Jaden, Violet, Danika, Taylor, Kaleb, Preslee, Olivia, Addyson, Knox, Jack, Lucas, Emma, Gavin, Jackson, Evelyn, Kennedy, Paola, and Lydia, great-great-grandchildren Myaa and LeighLa.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Verma, brother Bernard Deal (Neal), sister Bernadine, granddaughter Ericka and great-grandchildren Everett, Paislee and Cadance.