Bernard C. "Bernie" Dietz Obituary (1942 - 2014)

Bernard C. "Bernie" Dietz, 71, of Bloomington, passed away on Sunday, January 5, 2014 at his home.Private services will be held on Friday (1-10-14) at Carmody-Flynn Williamsburg Funeral Home in Bloomington. Cremation rites have been accorded. Inurnment will be at Park Hill Cemetery, Bloomington. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Holy Trinity Church, Bloomington, The American Heart Association, or a charity of the donors choice. To express condolences online, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com.He was born November 30, 1942 in Bloomington, son of Bernard A. and Bernice J. Colby Dietz. He married Vicki S. McQuown on February 1, 1964 in Bloomington. She survives.Also surviving are one daughter, Janice (Michael) Talkington of Bloomington; two grandsons, Drew and T.J. Talkington, both of Bloomington; two sisters, Louise Davis and Gail (Dennis) Nolan, both of Bloomington and two brothers, Bruce (Mary) Dietz of Ireland and Brian (Ellen) Dietz of Bloomington.He was preceded in death by his parents and one infant sister.Bernie attended Trinity High School and Quincy College.He was in the electrical business for close to 40 years. Bernie was an electrical contractor and was an owner, as his father before him, of DH Electric.Bernie had a life-long love of learning and exploring. He enjoyed numerous, fascinating hobbies throughout his life and especially enjoyed sharing his vast knowledge of them with others. Whatever the project, he pursued it completely and with excellence. He was a licensed pilot, loved flying the Piper Cherokee 1934T, and had a deep interest in aviation. Having spent numerous summers with his family in Minnesota while growing up, and later Ontario, Canada, he was an avid and accomplished fisherman. He loved spending time at the cabin on Blue Lake.He maintained beautiful home aquariums for a time. He spent many years in the fields of central Illinois researching and hunting for indian arrowheads; he had one of the most extensive collections of artifacts in the area. He was a gifted photographer, and processed and developed his work in his own basement lab. He spent years exploring the world of rock collecting, experimenting with rock cutting, polishing and jewelry making.Bernie was also known as N9CIT, as he was an avid morse code enthusiast and ham radio operator. He made hundreds of contacts around the world years before the age of the internet. Never straying far from aviation, he took up the craft of remote-controlled airplanes, building his planes from scratch, flying (and sometimes crashing) them; he shared his interest in this hobby with special needs students. He hunted throughout his life, and was a fine trapshooter. He treasured his time spent with his buddies and grandsons shooting clays at the club. He had a knack for designing websites. His favorite travels included outings to Mesick, Michigan with friends, memorable fishing trips to Canada, long drives with his wife to Williamsburg, Virginia, New Salem and Galena, as well as time spent in Hawaii and Naples, Florida.He was an ever-present fan at his grandsons sporting events.He maintained the most enviable and well-equipped workbench and a very extensive network of computers in "his basement," and his family and friends were so fortunate to have had his invaluable and unlimited expertise in all things electronic.Bernie was a beloved husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, son and brother.Paw Paw could fix anything!