- Date Of Birth: February 5, 1934
- Date Of Death: April 14, 2014
- State: Michigan
DIETRICH, G. PHILIP G. Philip Dietrich left this, his favorite planet, on April 14, 2014. He died in his favorite room in his home in Kalamazoo, where he had spent his last days living with his son and daughter.
A loyal promoter of all things Detroit, he was born there on February 5, 1934, to C. Lester and Addah Marie Hooper Dietrich. He attended Redford High School, where he met his future wife, Allene Widdis. His studies at Miami University of Ohio were interrupted by his service in the army in the Korean War. Upon his return, he earned his BA and his law degree from Wayne State University. Phil moved with his family to Kalamazoo in 1965 to practice with Howard and Howard. He took great pleasure in the Kalamazoo Mall, strolling, dining, and joking with friends and acquaintances. Kalamazoo’s culture engaged him, especially the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society, the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, and the Nature Center. He was known to jump the net a few times, winner or loser, playing one of many tennis matches. Phil loved traveling with his family, by rail to Tucson, and by car to Key West, Anchorage, St. John’s, and points between. As captain, he sailed Gull Lake, Lake Michigan, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Aegean, demanding adherence to one rule: Keep the captain dry! As a cyclist, he loved the Kal-Haven and Sammamish River trails, and one of his last trips was a New Zealand bike tour. Neither dismal season nor intolerable weather could dampen his delight in Michigan’s trees, its “pristine forests,” its waterways and gentle curves, and, of course, THE MIGHTY KALAMAZOO RIVER! Phil was impervious to mosquitos and poison ivy, but despised cucumbers. Relishing music and literature, he was easily contented with life as it came. Add a martini, and so much the better. His boeuf bourgignon and omelets were quite tasty and memorable, as was his vermouth-flavored turkey gravy. After leaving Howard and Howard, he practiced with Judge Richard Enslen, Judge William Schma, Brenda Wheeler Zody, Jim VanderRoest, and his son, Philip W. Dietrich, as well as other illustrious counselors. His “Harmless Indulgence” was a cottage on Lake Michigan, where sunsets and storms filled him with awe and excitement. An informed patriot, Phil worked to advance civil and women’s rights through his support of the ACLU and Planned Parenthood. A terrible disease damaged our beloved father’s final years, Alzheimer’s. At his very essence, with all of his brilliance, charm, and sharp dressing unavailable to him, Phil was kind, thoughtful, loving, and very, very brave.
Allene Widdis Dietrich, his wife of 40 years, predeceased him, as did his older brother C. Markham Dietrich.
Phil is survived by: a daughter and her husband, Emily Dietrich & Roy Leban of Redmond, WA; a son, Philip W. Dietrich of Kalamazoo; three grandchildren, Rosalyn Dietrich Leban, Adam Dietrich Leban, and Autumn Dietrich; two brothers, J. Kimball Dietrich and J. Stephen Dietrich; a brother-in-law, James N. Widdis; and many nieces and nephews; and loyal friend Vi Murphy.
