Elaine Marie Dieter

Elaine Marie Dieter, 87, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 5, 2023 in Moorhead, MN in the loving care of her husband, Len, and her daughter, Mary. Elaine had many visits from her family during her last months, including her children Pam, Dave, Keith, and Mary, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial is planned for Friday, May 19, 2023 at 11 am at St. Francis Catholic Church in Benson. Zniewski Funeral Home is coordinating the arrangements.

Elaine Marie Dieter was born in 1935, in Aurora, IL. She was the only daughter of the late Elmer and Frances Palmatier. She was a sister, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a friend, and a faithful Catholic. On November 27, 1952, she married Leonard C. Dieter at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Aurora, IL. They lived in Naperville, IL where Len worked with the Dieter Trucking family business. During this time, Elaine was a busy mother and homemaker. She loved spending time with her grandmother, Mary Lakeman, and the two of them would dedicate hours to canning and storing food. In 1972, Len and Elaine moved to Danvers, MN to a farm where she spent 24 years enjoying rural life before moving to Benson, MN. Elaine wasn’t known for sitting around. She enjoyed being a great homemaker—she loved doing laundry and ironing clothes, hosting family and friends, doing meticulous yard work, dancing, playing cards and other games, spending time with her grandchildren, and accompanying Len on the semi-truck. In her working years, she enjoyed serving people in retail sales, including working at Thompson’s Dress store and volunteering for Prairie Five.

Elaine is survived by her husband of 70 years, Len; her brothers: Wayne (Donna) Palmatier, Ronald Palmatier, and Dennis (Reba) Palmatier; her daughters: Pamela (James) Jacobson of Blomkest, MN, Mary (Garrick) Larson of Moorhead, MN; her sons: David (Diane) Dieter of Montevideo, MN, Keith Dieter of Eugene, OR, Joseph (Kaye) Dieter of Danvers, MN; 14 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Along with her parents, she is preceded in death by her brothers: Lawrence Palmatier, Father David Palmatier, and Gary Palmatier.