SYRACUSE/NEWARK: Agathe Dittmar, 94, passed away peacefully at home in Syracuse on Sunday morning, March 10th. Agathe was born in Sennfeld, Germany on August 18th, 1929. She was the middle daughter of three sisters, and she lived up to the reputation of the middle child – always the life of the party, always making jokes, and even pulling a few hijinks in her youth that her grandchildren loved hearing about. Her first occupation was as a hairdresser in Germany. Then she met the love of her life, Heinz Dittmar, and they were married in 1951. Their oldest son, Peter, was also born in Germany, and the three of them immigrated to the US in 1957. Agathe and Heinz worked odd jobs at first, working hard to build a better life in America, learning English and proudly becoming US citizens. Heinz eventually founded and co-owned Spinco Metal Products in Newark, NY, a manufacturer of machine parts, and this allowed Agathe to stay home and raise her family, which was her true calling.
Although Agathe escaped some harrowing experiences as a child in wartime Germany, she never failed to find the joy in life, to recall her life with joy, and to spread laughter and happiness. She made friends wherever she went – with neighbors, nurses, people she met shopping and traveling, friends at the Senior Center, and even her grandchildren’s friends, who all knew her as Oma. She was funny and fun, and people naturally gravitated toward her. She always had a funny story, lesson or joke to tell, and even when it was the same joke her family had heard many times before, they could not help but laugh at the retelling.
Agathe was very fashionable, and never went anywhere without being well-dressed, with her hair, makeup, and jewelry just so, even just going to a doctor’s appointment. Between that and her natural beauty, she looked at least 20 years younger than she was, and people always marveled at how young she looked when they discovered her true age. Despite getting compliments wherever she went, she remained very modest and never really believed any of them. Agathe was also modest about her intelligence, claiming she was not smart because she did not have a higher education. That could not have been further from the truth. She was naturally curious about the world,and was continually reading and asking questions about health, politics, the economy, religion, recipes, and how to use her iPhone.
Agathe loved her family and homemaking most of all. She was happiest when she was cooking, baking, and feeding people. She was famous for her endless batches of Christmas cookies, which she lovingly gave away. She also enjoyed cleaning, gardening, and shopping. In their later years, she and Heinz traveled many times to Germany, where they had a second home, and to Florida and South Carolina – first in their motor home, and then to their house in Surfside Beach, SC. After Heinz passed away in 2015, Agathe was content to stay in her last home in Syracuseand entertain family and friends there.
Agathe was immensely proud of all her children and grandchildren, and her life revolved around their visits and going to her grandchildren’s school and life events. Her grandchildren adored their Oma, and when they weren’t visiting, they were calling and texting her to share their photos and lives with her. She was also blessed with four great grandchildren in the past two and a half years.
Agathe was predeceased by Heinz, and by her sisters Renate and Hedwig. She is survived by her children, Peter (Cynthia) Dittmar, Henry (Sheila) Dittmar, and Heidi (Peter) Jones; eight grandchildren, Emily (Ryne Dennis), Peter Heinz(Carly), and Samuel Dittmar, Erich (Lauren) and Nadine Dittmar, and Natalie, Madeleine, and Isabella Jones; four great grandchildren, Oliver and Silas Dittmar, Hazel Dittmar, and Maisie Dennis; and many nieces and nephews in Germany and the US. She will be missed tremendously but her legacy will live on forever.
A memorial service and celebration of life will be held on Saturday, April 6th, 2024, at 1:00 at Trinity Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, NY. Contributions may be made to a charity of your choice in Agathe’s memory.
Arrangements by Butler-Badman Funeral Home, Syracuse, NY
