Anthony Paul Diede
Anthony Paul Diede was born in Jamestown, North Dakota on March 8, 1962. The Lord called Tony home at the age of 62 on September 18th in New Braunfels, Texas in the comfort of his own home surrounded by his loving family.
For those of you who knew Tony, you'll remember, among many other things, his infectious energy, his passion for history, his incredible story telling ability, and his love for Jesus. Above all, Tony was a loving husband, father and grandfather to his wife Kathryn, his two daughters Meghan, Gretchen and their families.
Anthony was the youngest of four children born to Elmer and Lavern Diede. He arrived eight years after his sister Polly. Tony was often referred to as a pleasant surprise and a "blessing" by his mother Lavern. At a young age, Tony quickly discovered his passion for sports and while he would never admit it, he discovered that he excelled as an athlete. Baseball was his first love, then basketball, golf and tennis. He had fond memories of hunting with his brother Mark, being the ring bearer for his sister Sara and having his birthday parties planned by his sister Polly.
Tony and Kathryn fell in love when they both were working in the Jamestown school system as educators. Kathryn often recalls falling in love with Tony after they got fudge sundaes at McDonalds and Tony had fudge on his tooth. They were engaged less than two months later and the rest is history. They were married in 1988 and moved to Dusseldorf, Germany in 1989 to teach at the International School of Dusseldorf. This experience only increased their desire to travel the world together.
Their first daughter, Meghan, was born in 1991 in Germany. Tony loved being a father! After three short and well traveled years, the Diede trio returned to Jamestown, but their love for travel and international teaching was not yet over. Before the end of the first school year Tony and Kathryn were ready to uproot, and began looking for their next adventure.
As Tony left to attend an international teaching fair in Iowa, they knew they were open to jobs anywhere but Saudi Arabia. However, God had other plans, and just like that they accepted the perfect teaching job for Tony in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia! They left for Saudi knowing there was another Diede girl on the way. On Christmas Day of 1994 Gretchen was born and their family was complete.
During their time in Abqaiq, Tony built friendships that have lasted a lifetime. He enjoyed teaching social studies, always creating new ways to help his students learn. The Diede Four made the move to the big city (Dhahran) in the summer of 2001.
Tony taught 8th grade US History at Dhahran Middle School. He also enjoyed teaching many electives, as well as coaching basketball and golf. Tony's true passion was his love for his students and enthusiasm for learning. He often reflected on his students and the impact they made on him.
One thing that defined Tony was his pure love of travel. Many can recall seeing his face light up when a travel destination was brought up. He and his family traveled to over 40 countries together. Some of their favorite places were Bali, Nepal, Thailand, Italy, United Kingdom and Tanzania. Tony was always snapping photos of his girls. He was many people's go-to guide for a well researched travel itinerary. After retirement from Saudi Arabia (2018), Tony and Kathryn continued traveling and exploring the great national parks and enjoyed hiking and camping.
In 2017, Tony's first grandson Theo Lawsage was born to his daughter, Meghan, and her husband, Drake. To no one's surprise, Tony (Papa) quickly became Theo's favorite person to have adventures with and explore. Four years later Otto Lawsage was born in 2021. Theo and Otto enjoyed Papa's "bumpy forest rides" around the Diede "ranch" and helping Papa tend to his trees. Theo and Otto filled Tony with so much pride. Tony felt very blessed with two other additions to his family, the husbands of his daughters, Drake (Meghan) and Ben (Gretchen), who finally gave him someone in the house to talk football and play sports with.
Tony was called home to be with the Lord on September 18, 2024 due to complications from his cancer. Tony fought hard to beat his aggressive cancer and was optimistic despite his difficulties. He was surrounded by his family and he knew he was loved. In the days leading up to his passing, Tony was embraced with so much love from friends and family, sharing stories about old times, sports, and travels. He enjoyed some of his favorite meals, French toast and German strudel, which were made with love by Meghan and Gretchen. In classic Tony fashion, he would take time to check Vikings highlights. He continued to tell stories about history in the way that only he could. He wanted everyone to know that he was at peace and while he wished he could have spent a little more time on this Earth, he knew we would all be together again in heaven. Our family is so blessed to have had all the support and prayers over the last year, we cannot thank you enough.
The memorial service will be held at River City Church in New Braunfels on Saturday, September 28th at 10:30 AM. A reception will be held at the family home following the service. All who would like to attend are welcome.