Rev. Paul D. Dieter

Rev. Paul D. Dieter, 92, of Easton, MD, passed from this life to his heavenly home on March 23, 2025. His earthly mission was one of complete devotion to his Lord and ardent dedication to the numerous positions in which he served. His ministerial and professional roles included pastoring, serving as District Superintendent of the Delmarva District of the Wesleyan Church, Director of Denton Wesleyan Camp, and founder of the Wesleyan Retirement Center. Active in his local community, Paul volunteered on school committees, served on college boards, and led fundraisers to improve civic organizations. He enjoyed his six years as Chaplain of the Cambridge Fire Dept. Paul and continually sought to be a spiritual influence in the communities where he served.

Paul was born in 1932 in Cherryville, PA, to C. Leon Dieter and Gladys E. Dieter. His father was a third-generation owner of Dieter’s Foundry, which produced gray iron products. He graduated from United Wesleyan College Academy in 1950 and then completed a Bachelor of Theology degree in 1954 at United Wesleyan College in Allentown, PA. He sang in a high school quartet and enjoyed summer traveling in the college quartet, “Kings Ambassadors,” from 1950 to 1953. After receiving a Teacher’s Diploma from the Evangelical Teacher Training Association, he married Clara Jane Price on August 1, 1953, in St. Paul’s Pilgrim Holiness Church in Oxford, MD. They were married for almost 72 years.

Paul began his pastoral ministry in March 1954 at The Wesleyan Church in Bethlehem, MD. He likewise pastored churches in Delmar, Easton, and Cambridge, Maryland.

In 1966, at age 34, Paul was elected the youngest District Superintendent of his denomination. He gave oversight to 52 churches in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia for the Delmarva/Chesapeake District of the Wesleyan Church. He served in that role until 1991, when he was appointed District Superintendent Emeritus.

Between 1991 and 2006, he served as President of Wesleyan Retirement Center in Denton, MD, which he founded in 1979 and participated in developing, serving on its Board of Directors and the Boards for the Wesleyan Health Care Center, Inc., Wesleyan Home Care, Inc., and Wesleyan Heritage Community, Inc. The Wesleyan Retirement Center was an intergenerational campus, which included the Wesleyan Camp and Wesleyan Christian School. Paul carried a vision that the church should provide training and holistic care for the youth and elderly. He was committed to this mission until his retirement.

During these active years of pastoral ministry, Paul served in several roles within the Wesleyan denomination. His full-time positions included The Wesleyan Camp Director and serving as Chairman of the Wesleyan Christian School Board and the District Museum and Archives. He was also a delegate to the Wesleyan General Conferences, and he attended district conferences for 70 years, including the most recent conference in 2024. Paul was also a member of the General Board of Administration for 18 years. Concurrently, he was a 50-year member of the National Association of Evangelicals and a member of the Evangelical Christian Association for 67 years. In 2002, Paul received a Governor’s Citation and an Official Citation from the Senate of Maryland in recognition of 46 years of spiritual leadership and pastoral care to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In 2014, Maryland State Comptroller Peter Franchot presented one of his special medallions for “Marylanders who made a difference” to Paul and Jane Dieter for developing the Wesleyan Center facilities.

Paul took a trip in 1970 to Israel, France, Italy, Egypt, the Island of Cyprus, and Greece. Then, in 1976, he returned to the Holy Land, hosting a tour of Israel and Rome, Italy, with his wife, three children, and 40 others.

When Paul was a child, his grandfather, David Dieter, built a miniature train for the grandkids to ride when they came to visit him in Bowmanstown, PA. This was a special highlight in Paul's life. Later, the train was placed in the Plain and Fancy Restaurant in Lancaster, PA, for a while and is now on Jacktown Grove Fairgrounds in conjunction with the Blue Mountain Antique Gas and Steam Engine Association Annual Show in Bangor, PA.

In addition to enjoying time spent with his family, including his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Paul was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, boating, and completing projects for his home.

He is survived by his wife, Jane Dieter; two sons: David Dieter (Richard Thomas) of St. Claire Shores, MI and Duane Dieter (Barbi) of Trappe, MD; and a daughter, Dawn Steward (Gregg) of Easton; four grandchildren: Diana Barrera (David), Devin Dieter (Chelsea), Jaki Hernandez (Eduardo), and Graham Steward. He has seven great-grandchildren: Isabella, Wyatt, Logan, and Charlotte Barrera, Javier and Jasmine Hernandez, and Quinn Dieter. He was predeceased by his beloved grandson, Daniel Dieter; two brothers, Vincent Dieter and Carl Dieter; and a sister, Jean Liggitt.

There will be a private interment conducted for the family. A service celebrating Rev. Dieter’s life will be held at 2 p.m. on April 26 at St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Denton, MD. Visitation will be held from 1 until 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Rev. Dieter may be sent to The Wesleyan Camp, 424 E. Wesley Circle, Denton, MD 21629 or online at www.dentoncamp.org

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