Richard "Dick" F. Diedrich

Richard “Dick” F. Diedrich, age 94, of Mattoon, IL passed away after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s surrounded by family on Sunday, December 28, 2025, at Copper Creek Cottages in Mattoon, IL. A funeral service in his honor will be held at 2:00 PM, Friday, January 16, 2026, at Mitchell-Jerdan Funeral Home, 1200 Wabash Avenue, Mattoon, IL 61938. A committal service will immediately follow at Resthaven Memorial Gardens, in Mattoon, IL. Military Rites will be conducted. The visitation will be held from 12:00 PM until the time of the service at the funeral home. Dick was born on May 25, 1931, in Chicago, IL to the late Frank P. and Helen (Wierbicky) Diedrich. He married his loving wife of sixty-six years, Doris A. Tyle on January 31, 1953; she preceded him in death in 2019. He is survived by two children, Nanci Johnson and husband Bruce; Doug Diedrich and significant other Melissa Slone of Mattoon, IL; two grandchildren, Evan Diedrich and Kristen Diedrich of Mattoon, IL; and special friend, Julia Furry of Charleston, IL. He was preceded in death by his son Dan Diedrich; and his brother, Gerald “Duke” Diedrich. Dick was a gifted athlete in many sports: football, baseball, track and golf. He was especially proud to earn the starting quarterback role at Morton East High School in Cicero, IL and later Morton Junior College, which led to a football scholarship at Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas. He was also on their baseball and track teams. Sidelined by an injury, he was drafted to serve his country in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the Korean Conflict. After serving his term, and because of his pitching prowess, he was asked to stay on with the Army to continue to pitch for the COE Branch baseball team, often playing national all-star teams from both Korea and Japan. This included a memorable pitching appearance at Seoul Stadium, a site where the Olympics would later be held. He also loved to tell how, when his unit was building infrastructure in Seoul, he convinced his officer to let him construct the first-ever basketball court in the city. Upon returning home and marrying Doris, he honed his salesmanship skills selling Noritake china for a year before beginning his lifetime professional career at R.R. Donnelley & Sons printing company, where he was soon promoted as Quality Control/Production manager for Life and Look Magazines. His leadership ability propelled him from the Lakeside Press in Chicago to a pivotal role in the original startup team for the Mattoon plant in 1968, where he continued his lengthy career as Customer Service Manager, and later Production Control Manager before his retirement. Throughout his life he dedicated himself to community service in many capacities. While living in Brookfield, IL he served on the local city council; coached Dan’s Little League team—the Mustangs; and was involved with both his children’s Girl Scout and Boy Scout organizations as well. He joined the Mattoon Rotary Club in 1983 and served in many positions, including President in 1988-89. He was one of the originators of the Mattoon Rotary Food Drive, chairing the event for many years. Dick was a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, and was Mattoon Rotarian of the Year in 1988-89. He served as board secretary and treasurer for the YMCA, taking part in many fundraising events. In 1989, Dick also proudly founded the Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Foundation Golf Benefit, an event that supports many deserving projects, and which has grown to draw participants from throughout the area. He also served on the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce board and on its annual golf outing committee. Dick was an avid golfer and organized many vacations around the sport. He was a fifty-year member of the Mattoon Golf and Country Club and cherished the many friends he made there over the years participating in the Men’s Twilight League, the annual Calcutta, and countless other tournaments at which he excelled. He served on the Country Club Board, including a term as President. When not golfing, he could be found at the card table as a Club member of both a Poker and Gin group. He participated in Men’s Softball and Baseball City Leagues throughout his life; refereed High School basketball games when living in Chicago; and joined a dedicated group of joggers in Mattoon, including his dear friend Clark Brogan. Dick’s love of sports extended to coaching a variety of youth baseball teams over the years. A major achievement came in 1976, when as the manager of the Junior Babe Ruth All-Star baseball team from Mattoon, the team went on to win the Illinois State Championship in Lansing, IL, then advanced to the Ohio Valley regional tournament in Rhinelander, WI. Dick was a lifelong fan of the Chicago White Sox. For many years, a highlight of his annual birthday celebration included a family trip to a Sox game, one which will be continued in his memory. In 2013, Dick and Doris were surprised when their love story was featured on the CBS Morning News with Gayle King and Charlie Rose after a metal detecting enthusiast discovered Dick’s High School class ring at the bottom of a Wisconsin lake some sixty-three years after it had been accidentally lost by Doris. Dick shared his love of travel with his family and friends, both across the U.S. and abroad. During his later retirement years, he and Doris became an enthusiastic rooting squad at his grandchildren’s school performances and sporting events. We wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude to his friend Julia Furry for her faithful dedication to his care as Alzheimer’s took hold, as well as the entire team at Copper Creek, his Visiting Angels nurse Macy Birdsong; the palliative care teams from SBL and the VA, and the hospice team from Transitions Care. Above all we want to thank and honor Dad for the ten years of the unwavering, daily home care he provided Mom while she battled first a stroke, then breast cancer and Alzheimer’s/dementia. Memorial donations in his honor may be made to the Mattoon Food Bank, the American Heart Association, or the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. Please visit www.mitchell-jerdan.com to light a candle in his honor or share a memory with the family.

Tributes

Richard "Dick" F. Diedrich

May 25, 1931 - December 28, 2025