Vero Beach, Fla.
July 28, 1925 – March 1, 2022
Philip Franklin Dietz, beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather, of Vero Beach, Fla., and Ellsworth and formerly of Franklin Lakes, N.J., passed away at home on March 1, 2022, at the age of 96.
Philip was born in York, Pa., to Allen and Sadie Dietz, where he spent his boyhood and graduated from high school. He was descended from the original York Lutheran Dietzes who settled in the area with a grant from William Penn in 1738. Philip then attended Bucknell University in an accelerated program, graduating with a degree in electrical engineering while also serving in a V-12 Navy unit. He then served as an officer in the Navy during World War II aboard the USS Gillette. When he was 22, he married his high school sweetheart, Charlotte Wagner, and took a job with the Westinghouse Electric Corp., moving to New Jersey, where they raised five sons together. Philip started as an engineer in Bloomfield, N.J., and rose to become head of the Lamp Division at Westinghouse. After over 40 years with Westinghouse/Philips he retired and he and Charlotte moved to Vero Beach, Fla., where they enjoyed golfing, socializing with friends and entertaining their sons and their families.
When in New Jersey, Philip and Charlotte were active members of Grace United Methodist Church in Wyckoff. After relocating to Florida, they attended the Community Church of Vero Beach and more recently attended services in Indian River Estates Retirement community, where they resided. Philip had a quiet but deep faith in God and looked forward to joining his wife of 69 years, Charlotte, who passed away in 2017.
Philip was a longtime member of Ridgewood Country Club in New Jersey, Blue Hill Country Club in Maine and Vero Beach Country Club in Florida. He and Charlotte loved to spend their summers in Ellsworth, where they had a house on Branch Pond.
Philip is survived by his five sons: Tim (wife, Diane), Dave (wife, Kathy), Stephen (wife, Martha), Bob (wife, Merryl) and Bill (wife, Shannon). He and Charlotte had 16 grandchildren: Patrick (predeceased), Danielle (husband, Derek), Denise, Jamie, Philip (wife, Victoria), Stephen (wife, Beth) Carl (husband, John), Martha (husband, Gardner), Christopher (wife, Kate), Evan (fiancée Amanda), Graham (fiancée Caitlin), Jessica (husband, Mike), Billy, David (wife, Maggie), Jacob and Christian. Philip was also blessed with 19 great-grandchildren!
The most important thing to Philip, especially in his later years, was knowing everyone in his family was happy and healthy. If those he loved were doing well, then he was OK. In the last years of his life, Philip was unable to care for himself, so God sent him an angel in the form of a loyal and compassionate caregiver, Jean Eddy Thomas, to whom our family is forever grateful for his loving care.