Douglas Walter Dittmann

Douglas Walter Dittmann was born in San Jose and grew up in Los Gatos, California. During his high school years, he spent months exploring Europe and various places throughout North America. He was always an enormous fan of American muscle cars, and at age 19, he purchased his favorite vehicle, his 1967 Shelby GT500, for an incredible $1,500. At age 20, he served in the Army and went to Vietnam with the 101st Airborne division.

After the Army, Doug went to work at the Dittmann family art framing business. Subsequently, he helped conceptualize and run a restaurant, Tulip Cafe in SanFran, along with a branded gift shop located in Carmel with his mother, Bernice "Bunny" and father-in-law, Bob Bickel. After selling those businesses, he and some of his family relocated to South Florida, where he assisted in chartering a family yacht up and down the east coast and throughout the Caribbean. While sailing the yacht in the Caribbean, he encountered modern day pirates and drug smugglers, amongst an array of other adventures.

In his 30’s, Doug sold real estate, renovated properties and helped conceptualize large commercial projects like Mizner Park in Boca Raton, along with his father-in-law. Doug was a master carpenter and artist, and there was very little he couldn’t do; he just needed the vision, and then he would figure it out how to make the dream come to life. Doug attributed his developed talents and gifts to his father who would help him figure things out, instead of doing things for him.

During his years in South Florida, he spent time with his friends and family, always learning, and he developed a palate that turned him into a collector of California wines. He was also an epicurean who could cook a delicious meal - anything from smoking and grilling to a gourmet flaming dessert. We will especially miss Doug's secret BBQ sauce. With his keen eye and artistic talents, he also became an art collector and aficionado. Doug was a true renaissance man.

Doug was a devoted father who took on the task of raising his oldest daughter, Erica, as an infant; he became a full-time father, devoting his life to her care and abandoning his bachelor lifestyle in exchange for fatherhood. When Erica was approximately four years old, he met his wife, Amanda, and along came his second daughter, Daniella, who made the family complete. Doug was a father who loved his children. He would always say that parents are just people too, and they were never going to be perfect, and this formed a pivotal perspective. So, he always did the best he could, but he never set the expectation he was perfect; although to his girls, he was. Doug was the type of father with whom you could share anything, and while he guided his girls, he loved them for who they were - imperfect, but perfect to him. His consistency, patience, and love and support were unwavering.

In his later years, Doug helped his oldest daughter, Erica, build her real estate firm and proudly drove a van with her headshot the size of a billboard all over town. He was her mentor and business partner, and together, they created a brand and company that now leaves behind his legacy of artist genius and business savvy. Their real estate business is run out of a restored 1935 house that has his handiwork all throughout; it was refurbished from the floor joists to the artistic tile work and wall niches - all a testament to his unmatched restoration skills, painstakingly restored with the help of his brother, Dwight. Being a REALTOR since 1983, his 40 years of real estate experience will be missed, but his experience was pivotal in the success of Team Anderson Realty.

Doug is survived by his daughters, Erica Anderson and Daniella Dittmann, his wife, Amanda Dittmann, son-in-law, Chad Anderson, sister, Diane Manchester, brothers, Dwight Dittmann and David Dittmann and sister-in-law, Regina Dittmann, grandchildren, Alaric and Alex Anderson, and niece and nephew, Julia and William Blonshine.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Vietnam Veteran’s of America: https://vva.org/donate/