DEER ISLE – James Hunter Dietz died peacefully Oct. 3, 2004, at home with his family on Deer Isle. He was born Dec. 14, 1927, in Forney, Texas, and grew up in Dallas, Texas, the son of a Dallas police officer and a registered nurse. He graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree in business, and took a job with Pioneer Airlines, which soon merged with the growing Continental Airlines. Beginning as a baggage handler and operations man, he worked in almost every aspect of the airline business, including Director of Passenger Services on flights, managing the kitchen in the days when meals were prepared on site, and finally working as General Manager of the Continental Airlines Employees Credit Union. His employment moved him from Texas to Colorado, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, and finally Los Angeles, Calif., where he lived for 30 years. In 2003 he moved to Stonington, to be near his only daughter, Judith Jerome. He was an active and devoted member of the El Segundo Methodist Church, serving as its treasurer and volunteering in myriad capacities. In Maine he attended the Stonington Methodist Church, worked three days a week at the Stonington Library, and spent every morning (except during the hateful month of March) at the Harbor cafe on Main Street, earning a loyal following of admirers of his gentle, wryly humorous spirit. He was predeceased by his father, Virgil Lee Dietz; his mother, Eula Mae Hunter Dietz; and in the year 2000, his beloved wife of 39 years, Evelyn Sellars Jerome Dietz. He is survived by a daughter, Judith Jerome and her partner, Linda Nelson, of Deer Isle; granddaughter, Jennifer Jerome Sherlock and her husband, Liam, of Eugene, Ore.; granddaughter, Kate Allison Dobbertin and her husband, Rudiger Schmidt, of Jamestown, Colo.; granddaughter Effie Dobbertin of New York City; and great-grandchildren, Julien Caleb Dobbertin-Schmidt, Carmen Delilah Delyte Sherlock, and Bodin Paul Asa Sherlock. He is also survived by beloved adopted sons, Tony Chau and his wife, Vicky; N’hien Chau and his wife, Elsa; and adopted grandchildren Stephanie, Nancy, Brian, Calvin, and Jasmine, all in Los Angeles. A memorial service will be held 3 p.m Saturday, Oct. 9, 2004, at the Stonington Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his name to the Evelyn Sellars Jerome Dietz Memorial Gardens at the Stonington Opera House, P.O. Box 56 Stonington, ME. 04681 A memorial service will be scheduled at the El Segundo Methodist Church in Los Angeles at a later date.
JAMES HUNTER DIETZ
