William Kenneth Diehl

William K. “Bill” Diehl, 89 of Cedar Falls, formerly of Waterloo, died on Saturday, October 24, 2020, at his home at Windridge of Western Home Communities from Alzheimer’s Disease.

He was born June 19, 1931, in Cedar Rapids, son of Kenneth and Emma (Mueller) Diehl. Bill graduated from East Waterloo High School in 1951 and served in the United States Marine Corps.

Bill married Loretta Delagardelle on April 17, 1951, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Waterloo. Together, they enjoyed playing 500 in card club and dancing with the square dancing club.

He worked for John Deere PEC for 33 years, creating two patented inventions before retiring in 1985.

Bill had special hobbies that he enjoyed, such as sculpting, woodworking, golfing and building clocks. He was a big fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes and also a fantastic cook. He was always ready for a good game of Chess or Cribbage, games he taught to his children. Bill loved his children and always took the honor of giving haircuts as well as making the special effort for his daughters by piercing each of their ears using ice cubes and a raw potato.

He is survived by his wife, Loretta of Cedar Falls; 5 daughters, Michele (Larry) Skartvedt of Madison‚ WI, Kathy “Kate” Masters of San Diego‚ CA, Julie Diehl of Waterloo, Denise (Greg) Lough of Cedar Falls, and Cheryl (Mike) Dodock of Waterloo; a son, Brian (Robbi) Diehl of Las Vegas; 13 grandchildren: Brooke (Sinan) Guven, Amy (Brian) Glad, Mandy Skartvedt, Ryan Masters, Rhaea Baity, Daniel (Kari) Winder, Joseph Winder, Haley (Corey) Natvig, Nicole (Gaylon) Bellew, Brianna (Trevor) Lough, Joshua Diehl and Michaela Diehl; 16 great grandchildren; sisters, Judy Tucker of Palm Springs, CA, and Nancy Siemens of St. Joseph‚ MO; and Chloe, the kitty — ruler of the palace.

Bill is preceded in death by a grandson, Jacob “Jake” Winder and a brother, Ted Diehl.