Timothy Nathaniel Dunn

Timothy (Tim) Nathaniel Dunn went home to be with the Lord on March 26, 2023, while in the hospital in Fargo, North Dakota. His last hours were spent surrounded by his loving family. 

A funeral for Tim will be held Saturday, April 8, at 11:00, at Clearview Full Gospel Church, in Troup, with visitation preceding the service.  Reverend Chris Wilkins will officiate. Burial with military honors will follow at the Whitehouse Cemetery. 

Tim was born December 21, 1964, in Sierra Vista, Arizona, to Bud and Rebecca (Welch) Dunn. He spent a happy childhood on the campus of Miracle Valley Bible College where his father was a teacher, and his mother was the dean of women. When Tim was eight, his parents accepted a call to minister to the people of the Navajo Nation.  During their time there, the family was adopted into the Diné, with Tim taken in as “being born to Bitter Water clan for Towering House clan.”  Tim maintained lifelong connection to his beloved Navajo family.  

After his family moved to East Texas, Tim graduated from Whitehouse High School and joined the United States Air Force, where he was assigned to work on F-111 fighter jets. He was stationed in Texas, Colorado, England, and Louisiana. He was very proud to have served his country. 

In 1990, Tim married Theresa Pell.  They were blessed with two children, Bethany and Stephen. For several years, Tim and Theresa served in ministry both in Texas and among the Navajos. In 2003, Tim and his children were in a car accident in which his daughter passed away.  Tim grieved the loss of Bethany for the rest of his life. 

Tim held a variety of jobs over the years.  Many of them, such as erecting tall communication towers and working with explosives, were full of risk and appealed to what he called “the X-factor, “invoking a mostly forgotten World War II experiment to determine what drives men to delight in danger.  

Tim loved working with his hands and excelled at drawing. He had phenomenal recall of things he learned by listening and could easily converse about almost any topic.  He especially loved history and nature.  

Tim also loved the mountains and lived in Montana and Wyoming from 2010 to 2017. In 2017, Tim moved to Wahpeton, North Dakota, to be nearer to his sister and her family.  His VA Service Officer, fellow veterans, and friends in Wahpeton were very important to him during the final years of his life.  

Tim is survived by his son Stephen (Karson) Dunn, and two grandchildren, Anthem and Ezra; his sister Deborah (Joe) Shelton, and his nieces and nephews, Rebecca, Grace (Joshua) Franklin, Rose, Daniel, David, Anna, and Olivia; his Navajo mother Angelina Gray; his Navajo siblings Steve Gray, Elizabeth (Robert) Huey, and Joseph (Peralta) Gray, and two nephews, Anthony and Isaac; his former wife, Theresa; and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.  

Tim was preceded in death by his daughter Bethany; his parents Bud and Rebecca; his Navajo father-uncle Joe Lee Gray; his grandparents; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

The family wishes to thank the many, many friends who helped Tim over the years and especially those who faithfully prayed for him. The Lord heard our prayers.  Tim died redeemed. 

Arrangements are under the direction of Cottle Funeral Home, Troup.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Timothy Nathaniel Dunn, please visit our floral store.