Emil "Paul" Dietrich's Obituary
Emil Paul Dietrich, born April 25,1942, passed away March 30, 2026. Paul was born to Richard J. Dietrich and Catherine O’Brien Dietrich in Springfield, Massachusetts on April 25, 1942. They moved to St. Petersburg, Florida in the summer of 1954, following his father’s retirement from the Springfield Police Department. Paul is predeceased by his parents and siblings, Richard, Robert, and Marlene. After completing Northeast High School in 1960 Paul attended Florida Presbyterian College, now Eckerd College, graduating in 1964. He began post-graduate work at the University of Florida in 1965, where he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study political science at the University of Tuebingen in Germany. He returned home in the Fall of 1966 where he enrolled in the Stetson College of Law. He graduated in 1969, ending the family’s fear, he had become a career student. Paul married in 1964 and was blessed with two daughters, Caroline (Hughes) and Nancy (Lux.) He divorced in 1980. In 1982 he married his wife of 43 years, Laurel Stiles Reed. Laurie brought with her to the relationship, two sons, Kent and Kyle Reed. Paul had two grandsons, Harry and Max Hughes and four step-grandchildren, Kameron, Nathan, Olivia, and Andrew Reed. He is survived by these four children, six grandchildren and cherished wife, Laurie, the loves of his life. >>> Paul had a life-changing moment on May 22, 1983, when he attended his first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. In his 42 years as a member, Paul received a quality of life he never thought possible. Paul found great satisfaction in his career as a fundraising executive. In 2009 he won the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ J. Loyd Horton Lifetime Achievement Award. For over 32 years he helped a total of 60 not-for-profit organizations raise hundreds of millions of dollars. In later years Paul and Laurie traveled in Europe and spent the happiest of times at their cottage in Cedar Key, which they affectionately called “The Shack.” There, Paul loved to fish in their classic Boston Whaler Montauk. A Celebration of Life will be held on a future date at the Island Hotel in Cedar Key, Fl. Paul has asked that the first arriving attendees receive one of his treasured “Puffy” fishing shirts. Laurie will be keeping his Superman shirt. 💙
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