John Dittmar

Rockport, Texas

John Andrew Dittmar was known as Jack to friends and family. He was the son of Elizabeth Taylor from Glasgow, Scotland and John Dittmar, a carpenter and a plumber for the city of Pittsburgh. After President Roosevelt announced we were at war after Pearl Harbor, Jack decided to join the US Navy. He joined the Navy at the age of 17 in 1943, serving in WWII in the South Pacific. He was a pharmacist 3rd Mate and worked as an Operating Room Technician. He served on the USS Cohocton. She had the dangerous but necessary task of providing fuel to vessels in combat and non-combat areas. The Cohocton carried ammunition and fresh water. She supported occupation forces in the Far East and western Pacific by carrying water from one port to another and serving as station water tanker. She called at Guam, Ulithi, Samar, Leyte, Yokosuka, Wakayama, and Kagoshima before arriving at Tsingtao, China, on 10 January 1946. Jack landed with the Marines as a medic in the Battle for Iwo Jima. He also landed with the 77th Division in the liberation of Guam, The Philippines and Okinawa.

After his military service Jack returned to Pittsburgh and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Degree in the Bachelor of Science in 1951. He worked as a paint and coatings formulation and research scientist and developed scores of new products and is credited with several US and foreign patents.

Jack officiated High School and College football after he graduated and continued until he was 80 years old. He married Joyce Townsend in 1974 and retired to Rockport in 1987 where Joyce was born and has many friends and family. Jack volunteered as a tour guide in the Sick Bay on the USS Lexington docked in Corpus Christi.

He is preceded in death by his parents; daughters, Sheryl Salinas and Belinda Christen: his sister Jean and granddaughter, Megan Kathleen Ratliff.

He leaves behind to cherish his memory, his loving wife, Joyce Townsend Dittmar of Rockport, TX; his children, John Andrew Dittmar, Jr., David Alan Dittmar, Timothy Arnold Dittmar all of Georgetown, TX, Susan Jane Dittmar of Georgetown, TX, Kathleen Dittmar Maus of Cypress, TX, John Frederick Ratliff (Monica) of Dallas, TX, Garvon Townsend Ratliff (Ann) of Cypress, TX; 12 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

Visitation will be held from 9:00a.m.-9:30a.m. with funeral service conducted by Pastor Laura Becker to begin at 10:00a.m. on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at First United Methodist Church of Rockport. Interment will follow at Rockport Cemetery.

Visitation

First United Methodist Church of Rockport
801 E. Main
Rockport, TX  78382
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
9:00a.m.-9:30a.m.

Service

Funeral Service

First United Methodist Church of Rockport
801 E. Main
Rockport, TX  78382
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
10:00a.m.

Cemetery

Rockport Cemetery
2040 Tule Park Dr
Rockport, TX  78382