Edward C Dietz

Funeral Services for Edward C. Dietz will be conducted from the Trinity Lutheran Church in Stamford, Nebraska on Friday, June 3, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. with Reverend Thalia Woodworth, officiating. Burial will be held at the Orleans Cemetery at Orleans, Nebraska with military honors provided by the Orleans Harold Morin Post #184 and the U.S. Army National Guard Military Honors Team.

Edward Charles Dietz, 91 years of age, of Orleans, passed away on Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at the Colonial Villa Good Samaritan Center in Alma, Nebraska. Edward was born February 18, 1920 in rural Harlan County, Nebraska, the 7th of 11 children born to Phillip and Margaret (Pyell) Dietz. He received his education from District #6 country school in rural Harlan County.

On July 19, 1940, in Stockton, Kansas, he was united in marriage to Alice Tiedje, and to this union four children were born: Allan, Sharon, Linda and Patrick.

Ed loved to play cards, especially Pitch, he enjoyed cooking, working with his cattle, and working with his farm. He always had a joke, especially when the going got tough. Ed never met a stranger.

Ed worked as a Custom Harvester for over twenty years. In his early years, Ed worked as a farmhand and owned and operated his own trucking company, the Harlan County Transfer.

Ed entered the Army on November 27, 1943, at Fort Crook, Nebraska. He was wounded in action during the African Middle East Theater. Ed was present on the second day at Omaha Beach in Normandy. He was also involved with the 311th Regiment, 78th Infantry Division, Hurtgen Forrest, the Battle of the Bulge, and was at Rhine River crossing at Remagen, Germany. Ed was trained as a Combat Medic. He received a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and a Presidential Unit Citation.

Beside his parents, he was preceded in death by five brothers and four sisters.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Alice, of Colonial Villa Good Samaritan Center in Alma, sons, Allan (Joan) Dietz of Kearney, Nebraska, and Pat (Judy) Dietz of Orleans, daughters, Sharon (Don) of Dallas, Texas, and Linda (Jean-Louis) of Miami Beach, Florida, 10 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren, sister, Pauline Holterman of Norton, Kansas, along with many nieces, nephews and extended family and friends.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, June 2, 2011 at the Mitchell Funeral Home in Orleans, NE, from 1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., with the family greeting friends from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Memorials can be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church in Stamford, NE.

Expressions of caring and kindness can be sent to the family at www.nelsonbauerfh.com

The Mitchell Funeral Home in Orleans, NE, is in charge of the arrangements.