H. Ralph Diethelm

In 1953, at age 22, Ralph moved to Alpena, where he served as salesman, sports announcer and manager of WATZ. He had been a member of the Alpena Rotary Club since November of 1954 and St. Bernards’s Catholic Church. Ralph was the past president of Rotary club and was the recipient of two Paul Harris awards; he also served eleven years on the Alpena Board of Education; he served and was the chairman of the Alpena Planning Commission; and numerous other public service posts. Ralph, along with Homer Story and Russell Wilson founded the Alpena Civic Theatre and with Roy Beard, salvaged the professional ThunderBay Theatre from financial ruin. He, along with Bill Moors, initiated the construction of the Alpena Band Shell. Bruce Jacobs and Ralph brought the Alpena Senior Citizens Center, started by Rosella Neumann, to fruition. Ralph also was the founder of the annual Christmas parade in Alpena. By his own admission, the Rotary Radio Auction was his most significant endeavor. Ralph, a new Rotarian, was asked by Alpena Rotary president, Don Mathis, to come up with an idea for a fund raising project. The result was the Rotary radio auction. District Governor, Phil Park, asked him to write a brochure on the project, which Park then took to Rotary International in Chicago. The end result was a concept that became a worldwide project for not only Rotary, but many other service organizations. From that idea, charities over these past 70 years have benefitted by billions of dollars. Ralph moved from Alpena to Switzerland, the land of his father and home of his wife Gitta, in December of 1986. Feeling too young to retire at age 55, Ralph went to work for Zurich Insurance Company head office in Zurich, Switzerland, where he was employed in the International Committee Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC) whose chairman was then Senator Bill Nelson of Florida. He then worked on another special project, but Ralph finally did retire for the final time at age 78 in 2009. At 93 years old, Ralph was honored as the inaugural,”The Voice of the North” by the Alpena Sports Hall of Fame for his contributions in broadcasting, which included, Alpena Catholic Central football, Alpena High School sports, as well as Alpena Community College Lumberjacks for many years. Ralph often reflected on his days broadcasting Alpena sports as many of his fondest life memories. He was a man of many world travels and serendipitous encounters that continued throughout his entire life. He has written 3 books for his family to ensure his stories live on.

Surviving are his children, Jeff (Suzanne) Diethelm (Alpena), Kimberly Kimball (James) (Woodstock, GA), Judy Diethelm (Keith Johnson) (Nashville, TN), Michael Diethelm (Amy) (Alpharetta, GA) Monika Hildebrand (Martin Löwy) (Neuheim, Switzerland) and Christian Hildebrand (Isabelle) (Zug Switzerland) ; 6 grandchildren, Ryan Diethelm, Cory Kimball (Miranda), Cassandra Kimball White (David), Nicole Gisler (Lukas Hess), Grantly Johnson, Olivia Diethelm and great-grandchildren, Holly, Elena, and Hunter, his first wife Margaret Nickels and many friends around the globe.

Ralph was preceded in death by his beloved wife Gitta in March 2016.

A Celebration of Life will take place at the Bannan Funeral Home on Thursday, July 17, 2025, from 12-2 p.m, followed by a gathering at Alpena Yacht Club.

Interment: Evergreen Cemetery

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Rotary Club of Alpena in memory of Ralph Diethelm. (Rotary, P.O. Box 58, Alpena, MI, 49707)