Betty Louise Dietz

Betty L. Dietz August 10, 2019 Betty Louise Dietz, 72, passed away peacefully in her sleep the morning of Saturday, Aug. 10, at her home in Deer Lake. She was discovered by her husband Doyle and their Labrador retrievers Dingus and Doc when they went to wake her for lunch. Betty and Doyle celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, January 25, and in February treated themselves to a vacation in Punta Cana. They enjoyed taking occasional breaks from fishing and hunting and watching baseball and football by vacationing in the Caribbean, and previously had visited Bermuda and The Bahamas. Born in Danville, May 16, 1947, Betty was the daughter of the late Paul and Dorothy (Ashenfelter) Seidel and is survived by her sister Beverly Laubach of Danville. A 1965 graduate of Danville Area High School and a 1969 graduate of the then Bloomsburg State College, Betty began a 34½ year teaching career at Panther Valley in the middle school as a Language Arts instructor, eventually becoming the department head, advisor to the school newspaper and served on the negotiating team. She was a member of the National Education Association, Pennsylvania State Education Association and Panther Valley Education Association, but as a conservative member of the Republican Party often disagreed with the liberal agenda of those organizations. At an early age Betty developed an appreciation for music, learning to play the piano and as a pre-teen she became a lifelong fan of Jerry Lee Lewis, and was a member of the DHS chorus and several service clubs. She was a member of the Rainbow Girls at Caldwell Consistory, Bloomsburg. Betty and Doyle began what became a 56-year partnership when they began dating during his senior year in high school. Their lifelong mutual interests included, but were not limited to, attending New York Football Giants and New York Yankees games, travel, hunting, fishing, films, dogs, cooking and restaurants, reading and attending concerts – their favorites being the Allman Brothers Band, who they saw more than 50 times at the Beacon Theater alone, and Bob Dylan and his Band. Betty was especially proud of her Scotch-Irish ancestry and through research discovered she is a member of the Gunn Clan – the same as the McGregors of the legendary Rob Roy. She and her sister enjoyed a tour of Ireland in 2015, the highlight for her being able to sit in Bono’s church seat that he uses Christmas Eve. Betty enjoyed all types of fishing, especially trips to the Chesapeake Bay and Lake Ontario – where she caught her largest king salmon of 21 pounds this spring – and in two days caught an 8-fish limit of walleye to bring home this summer from Quebec. It became a running joke, but fact, that she caught bigger fish than her husband, including a trophy char on a trip to Alaska and smallmouth bass in the St. Lawrence and Susquehanna rivers. A member of Salem United Methodist Church, Orwigsburg, for many years Betty served on its board. For more than 15 years she was treasurer of Blue Ridge Rifles Muzzleloader Club, Summit Station. Growing up on her father’s turkey farm in Washingtonville, Betty never understood the fascination that bordered on obsession hunters had – especially her husband -- with pursuing spring gobblers, until shooting a 23-pound bird in Missouri. After taking several birds in Pennsylvania, her proudest moment came two years ago when she called in and took a bird in Schuylkill County with a 12-inch beard. Because of her writing skills and love and knowledge of the outdoors, Betty joined the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association and was a contributor to the Pottsville Republican Herald since 2010. She also was a member of Friedensburg Fish and Game, National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association, National Rifle Association, National Wild Turkey Federation, Pennsylvania Deer Association, Pennsylvania Federation of Black Powder Shooters, Schuylkill County Sportsmen’s Association and Schuylkill Valley Corvette Club. In addition to her husband and sister, Betty is survived by brothers-in-law Ronald Dietz, Victorville, California; James Dietz, New Columbia; and numerous cousins, nephews, nieces and great-nephews. Hamilton-Breiner Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc., 116 S. Liberty St., Orwigsburg, is in charge of arrangements. A celebration of life is Saturday, Aug. 31, beginning at 10 a.m., followed by a memorial service conducted Rev. Steward Warner beginning at 11 a.m., and those attending are invited to wear fishing clothes if they wish. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to be made to Salem United Methodist Church, 133 South Liberty St., Orwigsburg PA 17961, or the American Diabetes Association, Box 15829, Arlington VA 22215.

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