Else Wally Dietrich

Else Wally Selma Dietrich (Conrad), age 90, of Cape Coral, FL and formerly of Oxon Hill, MD, passed on September 18, 2024. She was born on May 20, 1934, in Koischkau, Germany (now part of Poland), to the late Gerhard Conrad and Wally Meta Frieda Marschner (Glaeser). She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 69 years, Horst; her step-father, Paul Arthur Marschner; half-brother, Arno Marschner; step-brother Kurt Marschner; two grandsons, Shane & Robert Bates; and beloved son-in-law, Matthew Jennings.

Her husband was sponsored through his civilian work with the Air Force in Germany to come to America in 1959 and sent for Else and her daughter a few months later. After several years, she and her husband obtained the American dream and bought their first home and became business owners; establishing several dry-cleaning stores in Maryland (Eastover, Silver Hill, Camp Springs and Clinton). Moving around between each shop, she had to put the name of the store over the phone so that when she answered it, she Knew exactly which cleaner she was in!

Else was made of tough German stock! When she was 9, she was hidden by her Mom from the Russians during World War II and then the two of them walked about 500 miles to a small German village an hour from Strasbourg, France, where she lived until coming to America. During her time in the dry-cleaning business, she was robbed at gunpoint twice and each time stood up to the assailant with no one getting hurt in the process. Her dedication to her work paralleled her devotion to her family. Else was consistently recognized for her kindness and ever-present smile.

Else leaves behind her loving family: daughter, Monika Jennings of Cape Coral, FL; son, Robert Dietrich (Diana) of Edgewood, MD; Grandsons, Jason Dietrich (Danielle Wertz) and Thomas Dietrich; and the person she adored and loved the most, her Great-Granddaughter, Keira Dietrich.

The family wishes to thank Cypress Cove Living for the loving care that was given to Else the past three years.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you "pay-it-forward" and make someone smile with random acts of kindness and donate to the Matthew Jennings Memorial Fund, c/o Cape Coral Community Foundation, 1405 SE 47th Street, Cape Coral FL 33904. This Fund helps disadvantaged children and kids dealing with cancer.