Charles Richard Dietz

Charles Richard Dietz

Nov. 10, 1939 – Nov. 20, 2020

On November 20, 2020, at 1:30 a.m. Charles Richard Dietz of Hartsville, South Carolina, passed away surrounded by his family. 

Charlie was born in Tacoma, Washington, in 1939. He was the son of Carl and Minnie Dietz. In the fifth grade, Charlie moved to Lovell, where he met the love of his life, Harriet. They celebrated their
60th wedding anniversary this year. 

He graduated from Montana State University with a degree in chemical engineering. After graduation, he went to work at the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He had a lengthy career with General Electric as a start-up engineer for nuclear power plants throughout the U.S. In 1980, Charlie accepted a job with Carolina Power and Light. This led him to Hartsville, where he was the vice president of the H.B. Robinson Nuclear Power Plant until his retirement. He had many great memories from the people he worked with over the years. Although he often had a serious look, he was a true leader and earned the respect of those he worked with. 

Charlie loved spending time at their beach condo in North Myrtle Beach. He loved spending time on the balcony listening to the ocean and looking for dolphins. Charlie was musically gifted and played the saxophone, clarinet and piano. His faith in God was strong, and he was an active member of Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, where he served as the church president and played the organ. 

He was an avid golfer and enjoyed playing with friends and family throughout the years. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club and always enjoyed the friendly competition with his bridge club. Throughout the years, Charlie and Harriet traveled to many locations across the world, and it wasn’t rare that he’d bump into someone that he knew. 

The thing he loved most in this world was spending time with his children and granddaughters. He could grill a mean steak, always enjoyed a great glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and loved playing games with his friends and family. He was the rock of his family and was always there when needed most to answer a call, respond to an email or to just listen. His infectious smile and laugh will be greatly missed.

Charlie is survived by his wife, Harriet Dietz; sister-in-law Irene Dietz; son Bob (Margaret) Dietz; daughters Cynthia (Stephen) Badowski and Elizabeth (Matt) Byron; grandchildren Sarah, Allison and Amelia; and nephews Glenn (Deanna) Dietz, Craig (Piper) Dietz, Joel Dietz and Kirk Dietz. 

He was preceded in death by his brother, Warren Dietz. He also leaves behind many animals that provided him joy over the years.

A celebration of life service will be held October 9, 2021, at 3:30 p.m. at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church in Hartsville. The Rev. Ed Wolf will officiate, and the family will receive friends following the service. 

Brown-Pennington-Atkins Funeral Directors are caring for the family. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Prisma Health Midlands Foundation for the Heart Hospital at www.prismahealthmidlandsfoundation.org. The family thanks the wonderful team of doctors, nurses and staff at Prisma Health Heart Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, for the care and compassion they provided to Charlie over the past few years.