Jerry Joseph Dittle

Jerry Joseph Dittle, born April 21, 1939, in LaSalle, Illinois, passed peacefully into eternal rest on Saturday, March 1, 2025 in Bluffton, South Carolina.
After graduating from LaSalle-Peru High School (Class of 1958), he enlisted in the United States Army where he served honorably. He was stationed in Germany and played football for the Army while overseas. After the completion of his enlistment, he enrolled at Northern Illinois University where he studied business and was a linebacker for the Huskies. The 1965 team was later inducted into the NIU Huskies Hall of Fame in 2004.
A beloved husband and father, he married Linda Faye Haislip on October 31, 1970. They had three children, Marc Joseph, Leanne Nicole, and Lori Renee.
A career executive with Ryder Transportation, his various roles with the company took Jerry and his family all over the United States on a variety of wild adventures. The family lived in Illinois, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Louisiana, Wisconsin, and Tennessee before eventually settling in Riverview, Florida. After his retirement from Ryder, Jerry served as the Supervisor of Warehouse/Property Control for the Hillsborough County School District in Florida. After his second retirement, he spent time doing what he loved - boating, fishing, spending time on the beach, and watching his family grow.
Jerry is preceded in death by his father, John Dittle, and his mother, Lucille (Capponi) Dittle, his sister, Frances Pohar, and his brother John "Jack" Dittle with whom he was incredibly close.
Jerry is survived by his wife of 54 years, Linda, and his three children, Marc Dittle (Mareesa), Leanne Michels (Jonathan), and Lori Cullen (Matthew) and his beloved grandchildren Taylor, Emily, Alex, Sean and Evan.
In his last few years Jerry was lovingly cared for at The Vineyard of Bluffton's Memory Care. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Port Royal Sound Maritime Foundation Center where Jerry loved to visit. https://portroyalsoundfoundation.org/donate/