David Peter Dietz

91 Years

August 19, 1930, to September 15, 2021

Only the IRS and telemarketers called him “David.” Peter was a:

• husband, father, stepfather, father-in-law, grandfather, grandfather- in-law, and great grandfather

• son, brother, uncle, friend of many coworkers, fellow congregants, and neighbors

• engineer, designer, salesman, manager, vice president, president, and entrepreneur

• Korean War veteran, business mentor, charitable donor, Christian, Lion, Elk, and more.

Born in Saint Petersburg, Florida, to William Earl Dietz and Elizabeth Holshauser Dietz, and the last surviving brother of Bill, George, and John Dietz. At his passing, Peter had recently lost his wife, Kathie Wanger Dietz. He was survived by three children, David Dietz Jr, Carol Savoy, and John Dietz; three stepchildren, Todd Wilkinson, Brenda Wanger Rosé (husband Jason), and Gretchen Wanger; six grandchildren, Laura Losh, Elizabeth Ramirez (husband Chappy), and Kat Dietz, Ryan Dietz, Kyle Dietz, and Peter Savoy; three great grandchildren, Sierra Losh, Lilly Ramirez, and Gabe Ramirez; and two ex-wives, Florence Ortgies and Renate Dietz. He was predeceased by grandson-in-law, Allen Losh.

Peter was honorably discharged from the United States Air Force with the rank of captain, serving in Japan at the end of the Korean War. He received a BSEE in Electronics Engineering at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Just two units shy of a master’s degree, the nascent electronics industry was too hot for him to stay in school. So Peter joined Radiation Electronics working on one of the first digital telemetry systems. Then Hughes Electronics for 2 years. Then Radiation Labs in Southern California, then Radiation at Stanford, CA.

As an innovator and entrepreneur, Peter was part of the story that changed Santa Clara Valley into Silicon Valley. With two coworkers in the early 1960s Peter started his first company, Data Technology Corporation, in which Bob Noyce invested. He worked at other electronics throughout his career. After 11 years at Peter formed Iotron International for 1 year creating assembled subsystems. Then Varian for several years. Then another self-started company, Trimax Systems, creating digital automation control systems for HVAC. There may have been another company or two before or after.

While at Siltec, Peter was a member of the first American business delegation to China since 1949, after President Nixon established diplomatic relations in 1972. Skipping forward to his last company, Peter founded Silicon International in 1985, representing Siltec and others in China, selling previous generation fab equipment for 26 years. During his tenure with SI, he made 86 trips to China, verified by his frequent flyer miles. He visited every province by train.

Peter loved camping and day trips, but also skied in New Zealand, Chile, all over the US, Canada, and Europe. He hiked locally and in New Zealand. He toured the US in an RV. Peter especially loved the California redwoods. To his final days, there was nothing Peter liked better than a funny story, relishing the “gotcha” moment when his audience realized that he was telling a joke and they had been had.

All in all, Peter Dietz enjoyed an exuberant, faithful, and fulfilling life. If you have any stories you would like to share, please submit them here. Thank you for remembering Peter!