In Loving Memory
Carroll Dean McCament, age 80, known as “Dean” and “Mac” to friends and family, passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by loved ones, on April 15, 2026.
Dean grew up in Mount Vernon, Ohio and graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 1963. He went on to graduate from Ohio University, where he majored in History and Pre-Law, and he remained a loyal and proud Bobcat throughout his life.
Dean devoted more than three decades to public service with the Ohio Youth Commission, later known as the Ohio Department of Youth Services. He began as a teacher at the agency’s founding institution, the Fairfield School for Boys in Lancaster, Ohio, and later transferred to the Mohican Youth Center, where he spent many fulfilling years teaching in the classroom. His steady leadership led to his promotion to Deputy Superintendent of Operations at Mohican Youth Center, a role he later held at the agency’s Scioto and Riverview facilities. Even after retirement, Dean’s commitment to the agency – and to troubled youth – never waned, and he continued serving in several temporary administrative assignments at the Circleville and Cuyahoga Hills facilities.
Dean is survived by his devoted wife, Sheryl; their two daughters, Mollie (Sergio) de Rojas and Erin (Armando) Garcia; and his four treasured grandchildren, Emilio Rojas McCament, Antonio “Dean” Rojas McCament, Carissa Garcia, and Gabriel Garcia. He is also survived by his sister Patricia Nye; sister-in-law, Janice McCament and nephews, James and Keven. The unwavering rock of his family, Dean was a constant presence in their lives—always available, always supportive, and always engaged.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Carroll and Dorothy, and brother Wesley.
A devoted runner for much of his life, Dean approached the miles with the same quiet determination that he brought to everything he did. While training for marathons, he ran the twelve miles to work at the Mohican Youth Center each early morning —sometimes finishing the route on foot, and often getting a ride the rest of the way from favorite colleagues. In 1992, he proudly qualified for and completed the Boston Marathon, an achievement that spoke to both his discipline and endurance. Beyond running, Dean held a deep reverence for history and the lessons it held. He was most at peace in nature’s quiet beauty, especially in a small, cherished nook he created at his Fredericktown home and lovingly named “The Hill”—a place of reflection, calm, and contentment that mirrored his own gentle spirit.
Anecdotes shared from those who knew him always capture his gentle, kind spirit, a great sense of humor and positive impact that he had on those around him.
To honor Dean’s wishes, a memorial service will not be held but memorial donations may be made in his honor to the Ohio Bird Sanctuary at https://richlandgives.mightycause.com/donate/OBSFoundersFund. Ohio Bird Sanctuary, 3774 Orweiler Rd, Mansfield, OH 44903 and the Ackerman Nature Preserve in Fredericktown, Ohio at https://knoxcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=3508. Knox County Foundation, 101 E. Gambier Street, Mount Vernon, OH 43050 Attn: Ackerman Preserve Fund.
If you’d like to honor him in a more personal way, Dean would have loved knowing you planted a tree or hung a birdfeeder somewhere you can return to often and enjoy.
Funeral Home: Snyder Funeral Home
Website: www.snyderfuneralhomes.com