Donald D. ‘Red’ Deitrich

Donald D. “Red” Deitrich, 97, of Mingoville, Pa., died shortly before midnight Aug. 7, 2025, at home in the care of his family. He had weakened considerably 12 days before his death.

His wife of more than 75 years, Dollie J. Walizer Deitrich, died last year on April 28.

Don was born July 18, 1928, on the Deitrich family farm near Hublersburg, Pa. He was the fifth child of Leslie J. Deitrich, Sr. and Mary K. Smith Deitrich. He had nine brothers and sisters. He was the grandson of Lewis and Henrietta Markle Deitrich and Howard and Mary Margaret Long Smith.

Family history was important to him.

Don is survived by son, Jerry, beloved daughter-in-law, Nicki, and son, Woodrow; older sister Phyllis Wallace Young (now 100), sister Marlene Deitrich Emerick and brother-in-law Kay Emerick, sister Judith Deitrich, brother Ned’s partner, Shirley Leitch, and two dozen nieces and nephews, including nephew Duke who assisted his Uncle Don to Penn State wrestling matches for many years, and faithfully plowed the driveway after every big snow storm. Don is also survived by sister-in-law Leah Lucas Walizer, and sister-in-law Myrtle Walizer Heverly.

He was predeceased by sister Lois Deitrich Miele and brother-in-law Vince Miele, sister Norma Deitrich Barnes and brother-in-law Lester Barnes, brother Leslie J. Deitrich, Jr. and sister-in-law Lois Fisher Deitrich, sister Shirley Deitrich Johnson and brother-in-law Rev. Richard Johnson, 10-year-old brother Ray, brother Ned Deitrich, Sr., sister-in-law Nora Walizer Mayes and brother-in-law Donald Mayes, brother-in-law John Walizer and brother-in-law Jerry Heverly.

Don was a 42-year employee of the Sears & Roebuck Company. After disliked jobs at Piper Aircraft and the Armature wire mill in Lock Haven, he started at age 20 driving the Sears truck delivering large items such as appliances. He was quickly promoted to sales in the downtown State College store at the corner of College Ave. and Burrowes St. He soon was managing the hardware, paint and sporting goods departments. His divisions won many regional production awards, including the first color TV in our neighborhood in the early 1960s, when only a few shows were broadcast “in living color,” such as Bonanza and Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color.

Don turned down several promotions, and more money, that would have required him to move to new stores in faraway cities, even Venezuela. He would not leave Centre County. He retired at age 62 as assistant store manager of the large Sears anchor store at the Nittany Mall in State College.

The longtime Sears employees were like a family. They respected each others’ work and cared about each other. Especially if you grew up in the Great Depression, you valued and held onto a secure job at the world’s number one retailer.

After retirement, Don and Dollie enjoyed monthly lunch gatherings of the Sears retirees for nearly 30 years.

In retirement, Don and Dollie took cross country road trips to the west coast and northwest; a train trip to New Orleans, up to Chicago and back home; a 50th anniversary trip to Hawaii; several winter trips to Florida; an 80th birthday trip to Alaska and several visits to Seattle.

Don was a frequent blood donor at blood drives at Sears and the Elks. He nearly reached the 8-gallon mark by the time of his final donation at age 75.

Don was skillful. He was born left-handed but was ambidextrous. He could drive a nail in a difficult spot with either hand. Growing up on a farm in the depression, when money was short, and during World War II when supplies and many things were unavailable or rationed, he knew how to fix most things. He didn’t throw many things away. But what he really liked was building and making things.

In 1956 and 1957 he built a modern brick ranch-style home in College Township, next to the Lemont Elementary School, largely with his own hands and some help from family and friends. He cut trees in the woods on his parents’ farm and hauled them to the sawmill in Hublersburg to make lumber he used to frame the house. A few years later, he, his brothers, lifelong friend, Dick Gates, and hunting friends built a camp on a piece of mountain land above the Deitrich farm. Later Don built an auxilliary bunkhouse building. He built several large sheds at his house, until his wife, Dollie, asked him to stop.

Don enjoyed hunting trips to Montana, Wyoming and Colorado with his brothers, nephews and other hunter friends. He loved the outdoors. When he wasn’t on the mountain cutting wood and running his log splitter, or riding his ATV all over Centre and Clinton County trails, he was on the golf course.

Don had a lifelong relationship with the Nittany Country Club in Mingoville. In 1936, at age 8, he and brother, Les, began caddying. They weren’t much bigger than the golf bags they carried. Tips were 50 cents. A big tipper paid a dollar, which was a lot of money for a kid in the depression. Whenever the guy who only paid a quarter pulled into the parking lot, the caddies would run and hide. Asked where he kept his money, in a house full of many rambunctious children, Don said “Norm was my banker.” You didn’t mess with older sister, Norma.

Don worked many jobs as a boy. He was working at the Hecla Park roller skating rink in Mingoville one summer day, helping people put on rental skates, when the music stopped. The boss was away from his post. Don grabbed a new record and got it going. The boss ran up and said “What the heck are you doing?” Don had grabbed a Christmas record.

That was unintentional, but Don did love Christmas. He played Christmas music year round in his truck.

Though the boys were often told “You don’t need that,” at Christmas gifts were bountiful.

After the boys finished at Penn State, Don and Dollie fixed up an old house next to the Nittany C.C. golf course and enjoyed decades of golf and socializing with their friends. They had the sad experience of a close up view of the historic 3-story wooden clubhouse burn down. The new clubhouse hosted Don’s 90th birthday party, and 100 family and friends, including the Sears retirees.

Don was a hard-working man. He didn’t like to pay for things he felt he should do himself. That sometimes caused problems. At 90, he went up on the second story roof for the annual chimney cleaning, after being asked not to. Son Woodrow was tired of going up to help, and had a fit when finding Dad had done it anyway. That put a stop to it.

In his final years Don dreamed often about work. He would call for help at 3 a.m. and say, “I need four long bolts,” or “Those horses need to be fed twice a day,” or “I need help pulling this stump,” or “They put ALL that merchandise in the WRONG place.”

Don was a good athlete all his life. He played baseball and captained the soccer team at Walker Township High School in Hublersburg, where he graduated at age 16 in 1945, having skipped a grade. He had fond memories of away games when the entire team crammed into two cars due to wartime gas rationing.

In his 90s, pulling into the parking lot of the new Geisinger clinic in Lock Haven, he said “I hit a home run over there,” indicating where the old ball field had been. He had played adult baseball from 1948-1956 for the Hublersburg Hubbers. They often played teams in Lock Haven. In 1954, when he took a turn as team manager and kept the records, he batted .410. He was a county all-star at catcher, then at right field.

After moving to Lemont in 1957, son Jerry volunteered him to coach Little League, which he did for several years. He was a Yankees fan. Dollie was a Mets fan. For a time they had three TVs going, two for baseball and one for Dollie’s shows when the Mets weren’t on. They made several trips to major league baseball games as well as PGA golf tournaments.

In his 40s Don played soccer on son Jerry’s team, “the Younglings” in the State College adult rec league, alongside Jerry’s college friends including two boys from Ecuador, and some of his own friends closer to his age. They won the league championship.

After moving to Mingoville in his 50s, he was club champion at the Nittany Country Club in 1982 and 1983. He was runner-up a few times. He had been runner-up at The Elks Country Club in Boalsburg while still living in Lemont. He also served as president of the board at Nittany C.C.

He shot a hole-in-one twice. He tried to shoot his age in his later 70s and 80s. He played a few holes of golf for the final time, with longtime friends, John and Earl, two months prior to his 93rd birthday.

Don was a faithful friend. In his 70s when asked by son Jerry if there was any place in the world he wanted to visit before getting older, without hesitating he said he would like to visit the grave in France of his high school baseball teammate and older friend, Paul, who was killed in WWII. The whole family traveled to Switzerland, the birthplace of our great-great-grandparents, and Jerry took Don on the train to the American military cemetery in France. They were escorted to Paul’s grave, where Don paid his respects. They also toured several famous battle sites.

Don honored those who passed before him. He faithfully visited the graves of his parents and 10-year-old brother, Ray, on their birthdays, and recently Dollie’s grave. He would tell them he missed them. He liked to walk around the cemetery and check on everybody else.

Don read the obituaries in the newspaper every day until he could only see the names.

I hope you enjoyed reading his.

The family thanks nieces, Kim and Nadine, for their loving care, and Dr. Mark Rozick, MD, who cared for Don for decades. We also thank the nurses and aides of Grane Hospice for eight days of excellent, kind assistance.

Visitation will be held on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025, from 10-11 a.m., at Wetzler Funeral Service, Inc., 206 N. Spring St., Bellefonte, Pa.

Burial will immediately follow visitation at the Hublersburg Cemetery.

Arrangements are under the direction of Wetzler Funeral Service, Inc., Bellefonte.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.wetzlerfuneralhome.com