Dieter Vongehr

[Steve Grosekemper]

I am very sad to have to report that Dieter passed away very early Sunday morning.
He was at home with his family were he wanted to be.
His family (Wife Ria, daughters Nadia and Monique) will be announcing service dates over the next few days.

I will post upcoming information here.

I met Dieter in 1985 when I came to work for him and quickly realized what an incredible individual he was. I feel truly honored to be considered his friend. I know anyone who knew him felt the same way.

His love for family, friends, and Porsche is something I have attempted to emulate for over 20 years now.

Dieter- You will be truly missed.

[Henry Walker]

My father met Dieter soon after arriving in San Diego in 1966. So I've known Dieter since I was about 10 years old. He was a most decent human being. One of the most honest people I've ever met. As Steve says, he was a wonderful role model. He will be deeply missed.

[Steve Grosekemper]

There will be a memorial service held at St. Martin's Catholic Church in La Mesa at 11am on Monday the 12th (Veteran's day) with a reception directly following the service.

If those who plan on attending could send me an email at work steve@dietersmotorsports.com I will let the family know so they can plan accordingly.

[Steve Grosekemper]

The following is a message from Guy Ober who was the shop foreman long before I came to Dieters. He asked that I post this note here that he sent me today.

I feel so honored to be able to call Dieter my friend, my mentor. I've known Dieter since 1968 working at his shop on Mission Gorge Road, working part time after school. After my Army experience I worked for him starting in March of 1973. We moved his shop from upper State St. to lower State Street and later moved to the shop on Market Street.
I left to move to San Luis Obispo area in 1982. What a pleasure to work for him and had some of the best times sharing a Time Trial Car. He had such a sense of humor and enjoyed cold beer and a great laugh, all with sense of style and class. Rarely a foul word passed his lips, always willing to share his knowledge about Porsches, always pushing you to do your best in quiet way. His business ethics are my guiding force for my own shop of 15 years.
Whenever I am unsure of how to handle a problem or issue involving a customer I just think: What would Dieter do?
And it never has failed me. His love of his family was so enormous. His wife, Ria, is the most amazing woman, never left his side, always encouraging with his long battle with cancer. I will miss him so, so much and can only hope to be half the person, half the mechanic as he was.
I guess God needed a great Porsche Mechanic, you can almost hear them running much smoother and faster now.
Good bye my friend,
Guy