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Obituaries

F.J. Dieter, bank president

Francis J. "Bob" Dieter, 78, of Media, a retired bank president, died of lung cancer Monday at home. Mr. Dieter joined Industrial Valley Bank in the 1960s, after working for several years in sales and installation for IBM. In the 1970s, he interrupted his career as an Industrial Valley Bank regional vice president to be a partner in a brokerage firm. He later returned to the bank, and from 1980 until retiring in 1988 he was its president and chief operating officer.

    by Sally A. Downey, Inquirer Staff Writer
    Published 

Francis J. "Bob" Dieter, 78, of Media, a retired bank president, died of lung cancer Monday at home.

Mr. Dieter joined Industrial Valley Bank in the 1960s, after working for several years in sales and installation for IBM. In the 1970s, he interrupted his career as an Industrial Valley Bank regional vice president to be a partner in a brokerage firm. He later returned to the bank, and from 1980 until retiring in 1988 he was its president and chief operating officer.

Mr. Dieter graduated from Southeast Catholic High School, now St. John Neumann, and played on the basketball, football and baseball teams. He attended St. Joseph's University on a basketball scholarship. He received the President's Award at graduation for having the highest cumulative average in his class.

During the Korean War, Mr. Dieter served in the Army in the States.

Since 1952, he had been married to Theresa Moore Dieter. They had met at a dance in South Philadelphia. In 1955, they moved to the Briarcliff section of Darby Township. Mr. Dieter cofounded the Briarcliff Father and Sons Athletic Association and coached and umpired the organization's basketball and baseball teams.

He was an avid tennis player for years, his son Bob said, and later became a golf enthusiast, playing on courses near his winter home in Naples, Fla.

Mr. Dieter told friends and family he had a great life with just one major bump - the loss of his son Kevin, a physician, to a brain tumor in 1988.

In addition to his wife and son Bob, Mr. Dieter is survived by son Patrick; a sister; six grandchildren; and one great-grandson.

A Funeral Mass will be said at 11 a.m. tomorrow at St. Mary Magdalen Church, 2400 N. Providence Rd., Media. Friends may call from 9 a.m. Burial will be in SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Marple Township.