Paul Robert Dierks, 70, of Bethel, passed away on March 5, 2024.
Paul was born November 14, 1953, in Chicago, IL, to the late Paul and Ellen Dierks. Paul was the loving husband of Sandra Dierks (nee Miller), the beloved father of April Cropper (Kevin) and Hilary Wiezbenski (Nick), the grandfather of Elijah and Karina Wiezbenski, Esmee, Julian, and Sabine Cropper, and the brother of Valerie Simpson (Dave). He was also survived by his uncle, Ken Visek.
Paul grew up in a Chicago suburb where he enjoyed competing in the school chess club and played clarinet in the marching band. He attended Western University after which he taught high school Math and Science. After reading a book about ultrasound technology that Sandy brought home from her job as a nuclear medicine tech, he decided to apply for ultrasonography training. His work in medical imaging brought him to Cincinnati, where he helped set up and run the University Hospital’s first ultrasound and MRI programs. One of his favorite moments was doing the ultrasound on Sandy to confirm she was pregnant with their daughter, Hilary. He worked in healthcare imaging and then management for the rest of his working career. After retirement, he enjoyed working at Woodcraft, where he happily reinvested his paycheck back into the store. Paul enjoyed creating things and was especially adept at working with wood. Whether it was building a designer treehouse for his grandchildren or crafting beautiful stringed instruments, he loved making things for family and friends. Paul loved nature and was fascinated with space. He dabbled in many things, including making maple syrup from his own trees, running multiple marathons, piloting his own plane, and juggling while riding a unicycle. Paul was the kind of loving husband and father/grandfather who enjoyed encouraging us to try new things, to rip the wrapping paper at Christmas and drive the bobcat in never ending loops.
While cancer may have taken him in the end, Paul was a survivor. Paul survived with multiple myeloma for more than 20 years and three rounds of fighting. When he was first diagnosed in 2003, the average survival rate was about three years and is still today 58%, making it five years. He aided research and actively encouraged others who were also fighting cancer.
In lieu of flowers, if you wish to honor Paul, please make a donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at givenow.lls.org. LLS actively supported Paul’s cancer treatment for years, and he and Sandy were very grateful for their support and guidance.
