Dieter Dietrich

Dieter Dietrich of Frankfort, IL, died on Monday morning, September 21, 2020, at the age of 80. Dieter is preceded in death by his father Werner Dietrich, mother Paulina (Müller) Dietrich, and his sister Inge Dietrich. Dieter is survived by his wife, Joan Dietrich, his brother Rolf Dietrich and Rolf’s longtime partner Käthe Schultz, his son Kurt Dietrich and Kurt’s wife Jean Dietrich, his daughter Jennifer Dietrich, his daughter Catherine Dietrich and Catherine’s husband David Konsoer, stepson Jeff Block, stepson Bill Block and his wife Cheryl Block, niece Harue Seki, and ten grandchildren who all called him Opa.

Dieter was born on December 26, 1939, in (coincidentally) Frankfurt, Germany. Following the end of WWII, his family immigrated from Germany to Canada, and then soon after to the U.S. While in high school, Dieter and his brother Rolf helped their father build a house in Plymouth, MI, which served as a home and family gathering place for almost forty years.

Dieter graduated from Plymouth High School in 1957 and was accepted to the University of Michigan, graduating with his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering in 1961. While at the U. of M. he developed his lifelong love of classical music, jazz, and sailing. He was an active member of the university’s sailing club.

Upon graduation, Dieter moved to Chicago to begin work at Swift and Company. While at Swift, a coworker introduced him to his daughter, Bonnie Beckett, and the two were married (1963-1989) and share three children. Dieter took a job at Amoco in Chicago, and his young family owned their first home in Park Forest, Illinois.

The family moved to Pekin, IL in 1970, where Dieter began to hone his engineering skills at Corn Products Corporation. The family enjoyed the small town just outside of Peoria, and Dieter enjoyed family walks in the woods and by streams, and socializing with neighborhood friends. He was also an officer with the local Cub Scout Pack.

After 7 years in small-town Illinois, Dieter was recruited to work a 2-year contract engagement with a Swedish engineering company, Alfa Laval. The family moved to Sȍdertȁlje, Sweden, a suburb of Stockholm. Dieter became fluent in Swedish, his third language after English, and his native German.

Completing his contracted work, the family moved to Downers Grove, IL, where Dieter worked for Brown and Root in Oakbrook, IL, from 1979 to 1981. Late in 1981, Dieter began work at Process Systems, Inc. (PSI) in Memphis, TN, and the family was with him there until he started work at Dedert Corporation (no relation) in Olympia Fields, IL, in 1984. The family then settled in Homewood, IL.

Dieter was a Senior Engineer at Dedert Corp. for 20 years and did significant work, including numerous lengthy engagements in China, where he led startups of several Chinese factories producing Vitamin C. He retired with much gratitude from the company’s ownership. Instead of a gold watch, they let him keep his company car.

Dieter was generous. One of many examples of his generosity was the time he stopped his chores immediately one afternoon in 1973 to fix the bike of the 5-year-old kid of the single mom living next door. As it turns out, a similar act of kindness in August of 1998 at a Folks on Spokes Sunday bike ride out of Flossmoor allowed Dieter to meet Joan Block. The two were married on November 28, 2003, and shared a love of biking.

Dieter cherished the friends he and Joan made through their bike clubs – Folks on Spokes and the Joliet Bicycle Club. They did countless group rides, many multi-day biking trips both in the US and internationally. He loved nothing more than being on his bike with Joan and their wonderful biking friends. Joan and Dieter also traveled extensively, visiting 5 continents, with Joan always sharing amazing pictures of their adventures.

Dieter was very strong, surviving a severe traumatic brain injury from a bike crash that occurred during a weeklong bike tour in August of 2007 in Wisconsin. Joan was with him throughout his lengthy and near-complete recovery, and she sustained him through all of his subsequent health trials and tribulations. Joan’s love and devotion to Dieter was his savior. Ultimately, his brain injury later led to dementia that shortened his life. Under Joan’s truly remarkable care, Dieter lived at home for all but his final seven weeks of life.

Dieter was intelligent and had an irreverent sense of humor that brought laugher and joy to those around him. He didn’t shy away from difficult subjects – almost everything was fair game. Dieter loved to banter with friends and family. It was fun to witness because Dieter was so well informed, whether it was history or current events. Until just a few days ago, even through the fog of dementia, Dieter was digesting his two favorite weekly news magazines, The Economist (UK) and Der Spiegel (Germany).

We will all miss Dieter. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Brain Injury Association of Illinois.

Dieter Dietrich Memorial Bike Ride and Lunch http://evite.me/jDDxr96Cfk

Brain Injury Associate of Illinois https://www.biail.com/