Dieter Heinrich Wedel Mathis

Dieter (Wedel) Mathis was born on July 2, 1951, in Wiesbaden, Germany to Fritz and Therese Wedel. He departed the arms of his wife and children on May 24, 2023, to be reunited with his parents, sister, and grandparents in eternal rest.

Dieter was a much-beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend who will be immeasurably missed. He is survived by his wife of 49 beautiful years, Brenda; his children Bill (and wife, Mary Lou), Therese (and husband, Fedri), Nicole (and husband, Nick), Michael (and husband, James); his grandchildren Nicholas, Sophie Ann, and Sienna Therese; his sister Claudia (and husband, Peter), and his brothers Donald (and wife, Claudia), Raymond (and wife, Ursula) and their families which include beloved nieces, nephews, and great -nieces and -nephews, as well as many extended family members that he loved. Dieter is preceded in eternal rest with the passing of his mother, Therese, his father, Fritz, his sister, Rita, and his grandparents, Max and Therese.

As a child in Germany, he grew up with a love for soccer. Coming from humble beginnings, he worked hard and bought his first pair of soccer cleats himself, a used pair, which eventually led him to a training spot on the Eintracht Frankfurt Bundesliga team, after previously playing for SV Wiesbaden in the Hessenliga. At the age of 17, after the passing of his beloved mother, he made the decision to immigrate to the United States and live with his mother's sister and her American husband in the state of Oregon. While in high school in Oregon, Dieter earned a full scholarship to Oregon State University to run track. However, at the time he felt a profound sense of duty to his new country and instead decided to enlist in the United States Army, despite the ongoing Vietnam War. He was eventually stationed in South Korea. Once stateside again, his orders took him to Fort Carson Army Base on the Colorado Front Range, where he proudly served until 1973. It was during this time that he met his wife, Brenda, and they started their life together, spanning 51 years. Dieter very proudly earned his United States citizenship in 1972, which he celebrated every year with a red, white, and blue decorated cake surrounded by family.

Over his lifetime, Dieter continued to play soccer, retiring from the sport at the age of 69 after decades of playing with the Denver Kickers Sport Club. He was also very proud to be a charter member of the Victoria Sports Club, speaking often and warmly of the decades-long friendships he had with the founding members. In 1974, with huge success in the Colorado soccer circuit and his name appearing time after time in the newspaper, his talent was noticed by the U.S.A. Olympic Soccer Committee, who invited him to try out for the U.S. Olympic soccer team. During his 20-minute playing time, he scored one goal, assisted on a second goal, and hit three shots off the crossbar.

He was his children's first and best coach, sharing his incredible talent and love of the game with them, and inspiring three of them to continue playing into adulthood, where they used what their father taught them both on and off the pitch. Together, they watched many soccer games, too many to count, albeit in-person at stadiums— rain, shine, or snow (they were at the infamous 2013 U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) white-out blizzard match!)—or gathered around the big screen. Recently, while in the hospital, Bill, Therese, and Nicole all converged on his room, well past visiting hours, to watch a late night friendly between the USMNT and Mexico; the nurses, coming in and out at various times during the match, quietly smiled with an expression of understanding that could never be summed up in words.

Dieter also had the privilege of training with an American boxing legend, Archie Moore, during his time at Fort Carson; Boxers Ron Lyle and Bob Foster were also part of the coaching team. He spoke fondly of this experience over the years.

He was honored by the NASA space shuttle Columbia crew for his contributions to the construction of the Columbia space shuttle, which made 28 flights to space. Dieter worked as an expert machinist throughout his life, and in 2000 started a second career in real estate, which he thoroughly enjoyed for more than two decades.

Dieter loved to garden and could always be found tending to his flowerbeds and happily working in his yard, carefully pruning rosebushes, thinning Irises, and planting strawberries for his grandkids, whose little hands he’d take and lead over to the patch and help them pick the biggest and tastiest strawberries—he’d smile so big as he watched their cheeks pucker up.

He was an amazing baker and enjoyed baking and intricately decorating cakes; in 2008 he proudly made a beautiful three-tiered German Black Forest wedding cake for his youngest daughter. He’d bake anything for a friend or family member, and often donated his cakes to organizations for them to sell and their patrons to enjoy.

He was an avid fisher and loved Colorado’s great outdoors, taking his children on many camping trips over the years. Later in life he was often found at Barr Lake with his grandson casting a line out early in the morning—he even helped his grandson take home the first prize in the Barr Lake Fishing Tournament for Cancer in 2011, hooking a four pound, 19 in Rainbow Trout.

Although he lived in the U.S., he was a proud German, raising his children to know, understand, and love their German roots and culture. He even moved his wife and children to Germany for several years to be near his family there, whom he dearly loved; he always remained in solid contact with them and they were always in his heart.

His wife, Brenda, meant the world to him and was the love of his life; there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her, or she for him. Together, they shared a life that he was proud of, filled with love and happiness that will live on eternally always.

Dieter's love for life and family was always present and strong. When diagnosed with rare, aggressive osteosarcoma, he fiercely fought the disease head-on with the physical, mental, and emotional strength that he naturally extended to his family, helping to give them the strength he knew they needed. Always selfless, his hope was that his doctors could use what they learned from his case to help others diagnosed with this rare cancer in the future. The team of doctors, nurses, therapists, and more at Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center and Good Samaritan Medical Center, as well as his home hospice team of nurses, nursing assistant, social worker, and chaplain, were truly amazing in the care they provided to Dieter and the compassion they showed to him and his family, something Dieter was grateful for and expressed throughout his journey.

Dieter was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and brother who lived every day for his family. He was a man filled with love, positivity, laughter, and humor, who valued integrity, hard work, and keeping your word. His family and friends will forever have a void with his absence but will also forever be filled with joy and love from having had this wonderful man in their lives.

A visitation for Dieter is scheduled on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, from 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. MT at Olinger Highland Mortuary, located at 10201 Grant Street, Thornton, CO. Dieter’s life will be celebrated with a funeral service immediately following the visitation at 8:30 a.m. MT. Immediately following the funeral service, Dieter will be laid to rest and receive military burial honors at Fort Logan National Cemetery, 4400 W. Kenyon Ave., Denver, CO. Immediately following the burial, the Mathis family invites everyone to join them for a reception at Olinger Highland Mortuary in Thornton to celebrate Dieter and toast him one last time.