Michael E. Dietz (Mike) Dietz, 77, a US Army Veteran, passed away on Tuesday, January 23, 2023, at Walker Methodist Westwood Ridge Transitional Care Unit in West St. Paul, MN.
Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Sleepy Eye at 11:00 AM with visitation one hour prior to the service at the church in the North Entrance. The service will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/stmarysleepyeye/live.
The clergy will be Father Mark Steffl. Interment will be at the St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Sleepy Eye.
Military Honors will be provided by the Sleepy Eye Honor Guard.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota Chapter.
Arrangements are with Sturm Funeral Home, Sleepy Eye Chapel. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sturmfh.com.
Mike was born in Sleepy Eye, MN, on July 23, 1945. Mike attended St. Mary’s Catholic School in Sleepy Eye and graduated from Minnesota State University, Mankato, (formerly known as Mankato State College) in 1967 with a degree in business administration. He held a variety of jobs including Del Monte, Kraft Foods, Mathiowetz Construction and he retired from the City of Sleepy Eye in 2007.
Mike served 2 years in the US Army and was stationed in Germany from 1968 to 1970.
Earlier in life, Mike was married to Pam (Carlson) Dietz and in recent years, he enjoyed sharing his life with his significant other, Tammy Sellner.
Mike loved cars, boats, motorcycles, snow mobiles, country western music, drinking beer and watching Gunsmoke from the comfort of his recliner. He loved his garage, filled with every possible tool, and could spend hours working on his various projects. He was an animal lover ~ especially Tammy’s cats Smokey and Simba, and his dog Lassie. As a young man, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and skeet shooting. In later years, he spent time fishing with his dad on Sleepy Eye Lake and in Ely, MN with his older brother Albert, fishing on Burntside Lake near Al’s home.
Mike is survived by his sister, Caroline Dietz-Carlson and Johan Carlson in addition to his significant other, Tammy Sellner and her mother Norma and son Brandon. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mary (Sorensen) and Albert J. Dietz Sr. and his brother Albert J. Dietz, Jr.
A special thank you to all of Mike’s health care providers and staff ~ the St. James VA Clinic, the Minneapolis VA, Brookdale Plymouth Memory Care, the Transitional Care Unit at Walker Methodist Westwood Ridge, and Our Lady of Peace Hospice.
