Harold Leo Diederich

Harold Leo Diederich passed away on March 8, 2026, at the age of 84 in Delano, Minnesota. Born in Brown County, Wisconsin, he grew up on a family farm near Green Bay. After high school, he attended the Milwaukee School of Engineering and built a long career as an engineer. It was during a college summer job driving a cement truck that he met Mary Tuyls on a job site. They married in the summer of 1961 and raised four children together. The family lived in Wisconsin, Iowa, Georgia, and Alabama before settling on a farm near Howard Lake, Minnesota. Harold spent 31 years with Honeywell before retiring, though he continued some subcontract work afterward.

He and Mary enjoyed traveling together in their RV, including two winters spent in Silver Springs, Florida. Mary passed away in April 2013 after being diagnosed with cancer. In the years that followed, Harold continued traveling between Minnesota and Florida. During one of his stays in Silver Springs, he met Julia Boone, and the two later married. They made their permanent home in Silver Springs in 2023. Harold loved fishing at Federal Dam, playing golf with friends in Florida, and, after taking up biking at age 70, became an avid cyclist who regularly rode 15 to 25 miles a day.

In his later years, Harold faced increasing memory challenges, which led to his move to a memory care facility in Florida in 2024. After Julia passed away unexpectedly in November 2025, he returned to Minnesota to be near his daughters. He was preceded in death by his wives Mary and Julia, his daughter Jeanette Sand, son-in-law Peter Sand, parents Gabriel and Florence Diederich, and brother Gabriel.

Harold is survived by his children Gale (Robert) Bakeberg, Kara (Kevin) Reiser, Jana (Roger) Quast, and Mary (Matt) Douglas; 12 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren. A private interment will take place at Allouez Cemetery in Green Bay, Wisconsin.