Carl Edward Diller Jr.

A member of our family has passed away. Our brother, uncle, brother-in law and friend left us June 23rd. This was unexpected and our loss has not been fully realized. Our birthdays, holiday celebrations and family gatherings will be much different without him.

Carl had a love of games and puzzles which was mutually shared among the other members of his immediate family. Saturday night was frequently game night and from his early youth, Carl was a regular participant. Whether it was board games, poker, darts or racing model cars around a basement track, he could be tough to beat. At billiards he was an extreme competitor. At chess, more so !

He was very fond of mechanical and 3 dimensional puzzles. He could sit there for hours working away at it until he got it. His level of patience was amazing. Fortunately, for a person like Carl, the best puzzle of all became available early in his life…..the home computer. And Carl had to have one of the first ones available that worked from a cassette tape drive. As the computers advanced, so did his skills and he became adept at solving software and hardware glitches. It also satisfied the gamer in him with the video contests that were increasingly available.

The best demonstration of Carl’s patience came with the birth of his first niece. As she grew, “Unca Car” were some of the first words she learned to speak as he became her favorite play buddy. Hours upon hours were spent introducing, explaining the rules and playing the games geared to her level and using his gentle kindness to help her understand them and that losing was as much part of the game as winning. This was to be repeated with the arrival of his second niece and his nephew. He enjoyed his playtime with them as much as they did.

Carl was also a man of his word. If he told you he was going to do something, he generally did it. He was generous with his time with his family and friends if they needed help. If you had car trouble and needed a ride or your battery jumped at midnight, Carl would be there. Sadly, he was somewhat neglectful of car maintenance so many times this was a reciprocal arrangement. Nevertheless, you could count on him to be there if you were in a bind.

Like everyone else he had his devious side. He could be stubborn, really stubborn at times. The same tenacity that kept him working at a puzzle until he solved it worked both ways. Once he dug in his heels on a position on a subject, he wouldn’t budge. No amount of persuasion or reasoning would sway him. He would hold his ground even as it crumbled beneath him and then, rarely, begrudgingly concede. That usually took days if it happened at all.

Carl was all these things and much more. He was ours. We loved him and well miss him.