Adelaide Dietrich

Addie Dietrich is no longer with us. She did not pass away, cross the bar, go to meet her maker or enter the Kingdom of Heaven. She died. She did not mean to belittle other people’s post-death travel plans, but she did not intend to go anywhere. Adelaide Rose was born in 1935 at Ft. Riley, KS, daughter of Winslow Adam Rose and Emma Lillian Brown Rose. She grew up at Ft. Riley, KS, and during WWII in Alexandria, LA. She lived for six months in Rome, Italy, immediately after the war. She attended high school and Kansas State College in Manhattan, KS. She taught junior high school in Salina, KS, before marrying Donald Avon Dietrich. She returned to Manhattan while Don finished his architecture degree. After his graduation, they moved to Kansas City, MO, where they raised three children in the Brookside area. Addie earned a Master’s of Elementary Education at UMKC and obtained her certification as a school librarian. She taught in the Kansas City, MO., Hickman Mills and Olathe, KS, school districts. Addie belonged to All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, Kansas City, for 50 years as a not-so-very devout Humanist. She expressed high moral values regarding social and racial justice. She didn’t live up to those values as she would have liked, but she kept trying. She carelessly let herself get involved running the church library. In spite of the lack of altruistic intent, she enjoyed this work immensely. She also volunteered with Demeters, a women's service group at All Souls. As part of Demeters' social activism she worked at Planned Parenthood,and helped the Head Start program initiate services in Kansas City. Addie made a list of 22 things she wanted to do after retiring from the Olathe School District in 1998. She looked at the list after her last of day work and decided that she really didn’t want to do any of those things -- except one. She volunteered at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, for more than 20 years and enjoyed every minute of the experience. Post-retirement, she volunteered at Westport Cooperative Services on the advisory board and for the Senior Companion Program, both in Kansas City. She and Don delivered Meals on Wheels for a number of years. She seriously intended to do many more things but just never seemed to get around to it. When asked what she'd like to be remembered for, she cited instilling a love of reading in youngsters, her Christmas cookies and bringing people together. She began inviting fellow breakfasters to her table at Brookside eateries. The group grew, and eventually became known as the Ultracrepidarians ("a person who expresses opinions on matters outside the scope of their knowledge or expertise"). While not as altruistic as her other efforts, it was one she was happy to have accomplished. Addie leaves 3 children, Shelly Katherine Crow (Will), Carrie Layne Hartley (Ben) and Chris Jay Dietrich (Denise); and four of the most wonderful, lovely granddaughters that ever graced a family: Elizabeth Layne Hartley, Emily Anne Hartley, Salem Elizabeth Dietrich and Lydia Avon Dietrich. Addie firmly believed that along with the usual things to instill in children it was important to help them develop a sense of humor. She espoused that if you can’t have fun going somewhere, don’t go. With that in mind she sincerely hopes her memorial is laced with irony, puns and good humor. A memorial service will be held on Monday October 20th, 2025 at 11:00 AM at All Souls Unitarian Church, 4501 Walnut St, Kansas City, MO 64111. No flowers, please. Contributions to Planned Parenthood or All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Kansas City, MO are suggested.

Adelaide Dietrich

July 28, 2025