Rev. Dr. Charles E. Deitz died Sept. 21, at the Geer Nursing facility in Canaan, Connecticut.
Born May 27, 1920, Deitz was a 1942 graduate of Hartwick College where he met his wife of 72 years, Marjorie. He attended Gettysburg Seminary before graduating in 1945 and beginning his Lutheran ministry in Germantown, New York. In 1947 he began his second pastorate in Albany before moving to Massapequa Park, New York, in 1952 and beginning his 30-year ministry at St. David’s Lutheran Church. In 1969 he was elected secretary of the Metropolitan New York Synod. Under his leadership, St. David’s grew to be one of the largest congregations in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
In 1982, Deitz moved to Hillsdale where he led the formation a new mission church, Trinity Lutheran (now Christ Trinity Church in Sheffield, Massachusetts) before retiring from the ministry. He was active in the community, serving as president of the board of trustees of the Roeliff Jansen Community Library during fundraising and construction.
He is survived by his wife, Marjorie; his children: David of Westport Massachusetts, Janine of Brooklyn, New York, and Douglas of Concord, Massachusetts; five grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
The family invites everyone to join them for the funeral on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 10 a.m. at Christ Trinity Church in Sheffield followed by interment at North Hillsdale Cemetery in Hillsdale. There will be no calling hours. Donations in memory of Rev. Dr. Charles Deitz may be made to the Roeliff Jansen Community Library through FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME, 426 Main St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. To send remembrances to the family, go to www.finnertyandstevens.com.
