Garvin Dezell moved to Prince George in 1946 with his wife Bea Dezell and their two children. Garvin served as Mayor of Prince George from 1950-1953, and 1960-1969. During this period, the creation of three new pulp mills led the city's population to increase from 4,000 to 30,000 people. He and Bea owned a construction contracting company with Garvin's father James Nelson called J N Dezell & Son. Garvin died in 1972.

Bea was born in North Vancouver in 1908. She married Garvin Dezell and had two children. The family moved to Williams Lake and then settled in Prince George in 1946. The family owned a construction contracting company. She very involved in the family business and in the Prince George community. Bea Dezell died in 2014 at 105.