May 24, 2021
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA, www.fca.org) today announces that its former chairman of the FCA National Board and dedicated FCA staff member, Steve Dietzel, has gone to be with the Lord. Steve passed away peacefully on Saturday evening, May 8, 2021, at his home in Baton Rouge, La., surrounded by the loving presence of his wife, Judy, and his son, Paul.
Said FCA’s President and CEO Shane Williamson, “Our beloved teammate, Steve Dietzel, has been called home to be with God. All of us mourn his loss and pray for his family at this sad and difficult time. We also take comfort in the fact that throughout his life, Steve shared joy, fun, laughter, and love—along with his deep faith in Jesus Christ, which will not be forgotten.”
Wayne Atcheson, adviser to FCA Alabama, said of Steve Dietzel, “If anyone fought a good fight, it was Steve, who had physical and health issues. Yet with his amazing personality, most people never knew of his struggles with pain. His son, Paul, told me last evening that Steve texted up until last Tuesday. In the last few days of his life, he watched much of the Estes Park FCA Reunion of October 2018, an event that he joyously attended with Judy and Paul.”
Atcheson added of his colleague and friend, “Steve especially wanted to hear musician Ray Hildebrand sing the familiar FCA songs. He wanted to hear one in particular over and over, with its well-known lyrics, ‘If I live, well, praise the Lord. If I die, well, praise the Lord. If I live or die, my only cry will be Jesus in me, praise the Lord.’ Ray wrote that song—and Steve wants the song on video for his celebration service.”
Atcheson shared as well, “Steve and I texted, emailed and spoke on the telephone regularly over the years. On April 15, the subject line of his email to me was: ‘Heart update—FCA Reunion Unlikely.’ We texted up until last Tuesday, so Steve’s passing is a big loss to so many besides his family.”
Born at West Point, New York, in 1949, Steve Dietzel served on FCA’s national staff and on the FCA staff in South Carolina in the 1970s. He earned multiple master’s degrees as well as a seminary degree. He received many awards and honors in his 40 years as an insurance/financial consultant, and was known for his enthusiasm for life, his encouragement of others, and his contagious smile. He enjoyed entertaining family and friends, watching LSU football, playing the piano, and writing poems and jingles. He was proudest, though, of being a husband to Judy, a dad to Paul, a second dad to Paul’s wife, Shelby, and a grandfather to his three precious grandchildren. With his God-given entrepreneurial spirit, Steve showed them how to dream big dreams.
Read more about Fellowship of Christian Athletes here, visit FCA’s website at www.fca.org, its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheFCATeam or its Twitter feed https://twitter.com/TheFCATeam.
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To interview a Fellowship of Christian Athletes representative, contact Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Jeff Tolson, 610.584.1096, ext. 108, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102.
