Steven Dieringer

Steven (Stev) Joseph Dieringer was born in Portland, Oregon on 49 September 04, firstborn of Corky and Rita (Bertoli) Dieringer. While at home in Felida, Washington, on 25 September 25, Stev passed into eternity into the loving arms of our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of you reading that last bit will be skeptical, unbelieving. The last four months of his life, Stev went through a profound spiritual transformation. Those of us closest to him know that we will see him in Paradise one day.
Stev joined the US Coast Guard in 1968, knowing that he was ripe to get drafted and sent straightaway to Vietnam. Much to his amusement, he received his draft notice while in basic training. He ended up spending a tour in Vietnam anyway. His plan was to spend one stint in the Coast Guard while trying to figure out what to do with his life. That “one stint” stretched to 26 years, 7 months, and 27 days. He served honorably, with integrity, humor, imagination, and without compromise.
Stev determined that if he made it out of Vietnam in one piece he would buy himself a motorcycle. He did exactly that in 1972. He bought a brand new BMW motorcycle and proceeded to teach himself to ride … in New York City … in the winter. His love of BMW bikes never waned. He eventually acquired a sidecar. At least with three wheels he wouldn’t fall over. That was his only mode of transportation for many years. Interestingly, it took him a few years to discover and come to appreciate rain gear. “Taking a putt” injected youthful vigor directly into his spirit. It was something to see.
In 1978 Stev met Priscilla. ‘Twas a summer evening in south Florida when Stev spotted another motorcyclist nearby. “Ooh, it’s a girl … and she’s good-looking!” he would later recall thinking. Their first date lasted 12 hours. The next five weeks were delightfully memorable. However, Stev already had orders to northern California and, alas, the long distance relationship did not last. They would each go and marry other people, and have babies with them. Stev and Priscilla reconnected in 2003 via the magic of the internet: “Hi, do you remember me?” She in Texas, he in Oregon, their first phone conversation lasted 8 hours. As iron sharpens iron, sparks would fly. Long distance worked this time. Two years later they were married.
After retiring from the Coast Guard, he used the GI Bill to obtain an Electrical Engineering Degree. He worked briefly as a corrections officer (Nope! Not a good idea for a combat-hardened veteran.), a towing company dispatcher, and as an electrical technician at Credence Systems Corp. However, he had the most fun as a school bus driver. He delighted in children and would challenge the wee ones to learn new words; new words to be used in place of the “f” word they so often employed. The teachers at the school came out to meet the man who was inspiring the kids to actually use dictionaries. What fun he had! Stev ultimately began a second career with the US Post Office as a maintenance technician. He retired from there after 14 years. If you ever received written correspondence from him, you knew that he had witnessed the destruction those sorting machines could cause and he devised his own way to prevent said destruction. You will also remember his distinctive handwriting; a style he nurtured over the years. He always said that if you can’t read it, it wasn’t worth the effort. He kept in touch with so many people through the years, writing letters and emails. His Christmas card list was 90+ names long.
Stev enjoyed smoking pipes and cigars, a simple pleasure acquired at the age of 17 after being given his grandfather’s pipe smoking kit. A little over 19 years ago, he was invited to join a local pipe smokers’ club and was a longtime fixture at club meetings. He will be missed as much for his company as his ribald jokes and stories. He enjoyed the gatherings and the guys enjoyed him.
After retirement, he would grab a chair, a pipe, his hat, and sit outside, accosting the passersby with a hearty “Goodmornin’!” and his latest bit of humour. He had a very generous nature, if you would let him; always willing to share his time, effort, knowledge, and insights … and his hugs. He gave the BEST hugs. He was a prolific reader and would often mark impactful passages so he could revisit them. Stev also loved making sawdust. He was quite the perfectionist but when the project was complete, we knew it was done right. Stev used his woodworking skills to build his own model train system which he affectionately dubbed “Stumpiesgrump”. He built over 300’ of continuous track with bridges, tunnels, and handmade trestles and utilized no tables.
Stev loved America but he was also strongly drawn to both Scottish and Japanese cultures. He learned how to play the bagpipes from Dame Aggie Wallace, whom he met while stationed in Hawaii. She adopted him into the clan and his grandma made a kilt for him from Wallace tartan. He wore it proudly to many functions. He even wore it, carefully, while riding his motorcycle. Nothing was ever worn under the kilt; it was all in good working condition. His interest in Japanese culture included martial arts, specifically Aikido, which helped tame the doom-beasties from combat. He was intrigued by The Way of the Samurai, he had his own Samurai sword and bokken. He enjoyed Japanese movies, especially Akira Kurosawa films and the long running Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman series. He built his own board for the games Gomuku and Go (he knew the difference) and he loved teaching the young ones how to play. He would never let them win so when they defeated him, they knew it was true. “Satori” was a favored word and, Lord knows, he experienced that many times in his last four months.
Stev is survived by his wife, Priscilla; children, Travis Dieringer, Holland (Kevin) Sweeney, and Cassie Lucas; grandchildren, Falyn Calderon, Oscar, and Cade Sweeney; siblings, Susan Henry, Debora Hodgson, Robin Bibles, Peter Dieringer, Michael Dieringer, Julie Ford, and Laurie Dieringer; his second mom of 40 years, Therese Dieringer; many nieces and nephews (yes, he had favourites and you know who you are).
Stev will be interred at Willamette National Cemetery with military honors.
Stev is loved and he is deeply missed. He was worth the effort.
Who will darn my socks now…?

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