Stephen Dietzel

Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father, but through Me” (John 14:6). Stephen Paul Dietzel went to be with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, May 8, 2021 with his wife, Judy, and son, Paul, by his side. As a Fellowship of Christian Athletes teammate said, he was inducted into God’s Hall of Fame that day. Steve was born at West Point, New York on January 27, 1949 to Anne Wilson Dietzel and Paul F. Dietzel. Raised in the shadows of goal posts and stadium lights from the LSU Fighting Tigers to the West Point Cadets to the South Carolina Fighting Gamecocks, Steve shared about his relationship with Jesus Christ throughout his life whether preaching from a pulpit, conversing on a plane ride or sharing one on one in his everyday life. All he ever wanted, as said in a poem he once wrote, was to get out of the way so that others could see Jesus. Steve earned multiple masters degrees as well as a seminary degree. He received countless honors and awards from different organizations throughout his 40 years as an insurance/financial consultant. In his younger years, Steve served on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes National Staff and FCA staff in South Carolina in the 1970’s. Steve was known for his enthusiasm for life, his gift of encouragement and his contagious smile. He loved to entertain family and friends, watch LSU football, play the piano, write poems and jingles and make life fun! Steve loved his family passionately. He was most proud of being husband to Judy, dad to Paul, second dad to Shelby, and Baba to his precious three grandchildren. The family will miss their great encourager, their wind beneath their wings, their dreamer. He showed them how to dream big dreams with his precious God given entrepreneurial spirit. They lost a devoted husband, loving dad, fun granddad and best friend! Steve is preceded in death by his parents, Coach Paul and Anne Dietzel, his third grandchild (miscarriage) and brother-in-law Dale DuTremble. Steve leaves behind his beloved wife of 40 years, Judy DuBois Dietzel; his only son, Paul Dietzel II, and wife Shelby; his three precious grandchildren: Greyson, Reese and Banks; his sister, Kathie DuTremble of Charleston, SC; nephew, David DuTremble, wife Shawnee, and their two children of Charleston, SC; cousin, Barbara Wilson Woodard of Brookeville, MD; cousin Tim Goldner of Oxford, Ohio, Judy’s mom and dad, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews - whom he loved as his own. Steve was a long time member of Jefferson Baptist Church before moving to Dallas in 2018 where he joined First Baptist Dallas. Upon returning back home to the Baton Rouge area in December of 2019, he remained a member of First Baptist Dallas. The family would like to give special thanks to Dr. Carl Luikart and Dr. Kenny Civello for their wonderful care, compassion, and friendship over the past 10 years and to Dr. David Moll, the heart failure specialist who compassionately oversaw Steve’s care at the end. Thank you to all those who cared for him so well on the 7th floor of the OLOL Heart tower as well as the wonderful people at Pinnacle Hospice including Rachel, Nurse Sundi, assistant Leona and Janet Blankenship who all were simply amazing!  A heartfelt thank you to Brooke Sandun, a special angel nurse and neighbor who was there for Steve day or night and to family and friends who prayed for Steve without ceasing. The immediate family will hold a private graveside service on Friday, May 14th at Resthaven Gardens of Memory as they celebrate the life of an extraordinary child of God. In lieu of flowers, the family wishes memorial contributions to be made to the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (https://billygraham.org), the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (https://fca.org), or the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter in Baton Rouge (https://fcabr.org). The local FCA contact is Andy Stroup. Family and friends may sign the online guestbook or leave a personal note to the family at www.resthavenbatonrouge.com.