Dr. Robert "Bob" J. Dietz Obituary (1928

Dr. Robert "Bob" J. Dietz, PhD was a musician, an educator, an activist, a writer -- witty and wise, sarcastic and scholarly, erudite and irascible. A public figure in Kitsap County for over 50 years, Bob's legacy lives on in every student he taught, every politician he challenged, every battle he fought; in all the lectures, the music, the dinner parties, the scholarly endeavors, and the political rallies; down to every letter to the editor, every eloquent speech, every public performance, every authority he questioned. His passing on Tuesday, June 10, 2014 is a great loss for both his family and his community. His talents were many and began at a young age when his parents -- John Dietz and Elizabeth Hild Dietz of Milwaukee, Wisconsin -- groomed him to be the next Bobby Breen, a gifted boy soprano of the1930s. Setting Bob's musical path, his mother enrolled him in the study of a variety of instruments -- pipe organ, saxophone, violin, viola, voice, and piano. Not fond of solo public performance, Bob used his musical talents to focus more on accompaniment choosing to play "back up" for classically trained instrumental soloists, singers, and later in life, conduct small orchestras for musical theater productions. In 1946 Bob entered Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he continued his study of music and where, at a Valentine's Day dance, he met the love his life -- Maryellen Jensen. They married in 1949 and moved to the University of Michigan where Bob earned his Master's in Music, then to Fargo, North Dakota where he spent seven years teaching at North Dakota State University; then onto University of Iowa to begin work on a Doctorate in Musicology. In 1959, Bob and Maryellen moved their family, which now included three children --Paul, Krista, and Gretchen --to Bremerton, Washington to assume a teaching position at Olympic College. It was here, in Bremerton and at the College, where Bob established himself not only as a gifted and passionate teacher, but as a liberal activist speaking out against the Vietnam War, championing the rights of the underrepresented, and promoting the importance of free and public education. Bob's life was informed by his liberal values and renaissance spirit. He was an avid reader choosing books on history and music, theology and philosophy, politics and literature, cinema and American culture to not only deepen his knowledge of the world, but also to inspire and challenge others to rise above the mundane. Bob and Maryellen attended symphony and opera performances not only in Seattle, but around the country often planning a spontaneous trip to New York to hear the New York Philharmonic or to Victoria, British Columbia for a Marc Blitzstein Opera. His Doctoral dissertation was the first academic study of the music of the American composer, Marc Blitzstein. Bob partnered with colleagues to teach classes abroad on art, theater, and music, always entertaining his students with his quick wit and breadth of knowledge on Beethoven, Mozart, or Wagner. He was equally praised for his scholarship as he was for his activism. Bob and his wife were extremely proud to be honored, as a couple, by the Kitsap County Bar Association that awarded them the Liberty Bell Award; a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kitsap County Democrats; and Exemplary Curriculum Development from the Washington State Community College Humanities Association. He was recognized as a Hall of Fame Faculty by the Olympic College Foundation, received the Distinguished Service Award from the Washington Arts Education Association, and was recognized by Olympic College as a Jenny Mae Moyer Outstanding Faculty Member. Bob served on the Board of Consultants for the National Board of Humanities and was a Community Columnist for the Kitsap Sun. In addition, he was elected to two terms on the Central Kitsap Board of Directors. But Bob was more than a list of his accomplishments and he will be remembered by his family for more than his public contributions. Bob -- the husband, father, and grandfather -- was playful and funny dancing down the grocery aisle or bursting into song in public places to tease his children or later, his grandchildren. He ate his cereal every morning with ice cream and sometimes a dab of whipped cream on top and liked his martinis dry with one olive. His puns alone were legendary. He loved to cook, to garden, and shop for stylish shoes. Always dressed to the nines, he wowed his guests at dinner parties or patrons at the theater with a beautiful new suit or a silken dress shirt. He loved animals from the goats he raised as a child to the many dogs and cats who shared the family home. Even as Parkinson's robbed him of the things he loved the most -- conversation, long walks, the ability to read or express his joy with a smile -- Bob maintained his wit and grace. And though, in the last few years of his life, he could no longer taste the food his wife prepared for him, he always finished his meal by saying, "Honey, that was delicious." Bob is survived by his wife of more than 63 years, Maryellen J. Dietz; his son, Paul Dietz and his wife, Patti Dietz of Hillsboro, Oregon; his two grandchildren, Lindsey and Nathan Dietz of Portland, Oregon; his daughters Krista Dietz, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Gretchen Dietz and her wife, Ann Gilpin, of Seattle. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, and one nephew. Bob is survived by a host of cousins all of whom are Canadian citizens. A memorial celebration is being planned for 2:30 Saturday, August 16 at the Olympic College Theater in Bremerton, Washington. Donations can be made in his name to the Olympic College Foundation, the Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Hospice of Kitsap County Lebo Blvd., Bremerton, and the Parkinson's Research Foundation.