Wauconda Fire District, Cuba Township trustee dies at 59

Memorial bunting is hanging over the doors at the main Wauconda Fire District station to honor a district trustee who also served his community in other ways.

Paul Dietzen, 59, died Saturday. He'd been diagnosed with kidney cancer.

Dietzen, of the Barrington area, also sat on the Cuba Township board. Flags at township headquarters in Barrington will fly at half staff this week to honor Dietzen, officials announced.

Former Wauconda Fire District Chief David Dato was among the people who eulogized Dietzen on social media.

"Paul was a great trustee to work with as a fire chief," Dado wrote on Facebook. "I will keep many fond memories of him."

Cuba Township Supervisor Mike Kainz described Dietzen as an even-keeled and caring man who "brought a deep understanding of the local political and environmental challenges" to the board.

"To me, he embodied the meaning of civic duty," Kainz said.

Dietzen lived in the Timberlake Estates neighborhood and was a longtime member of the civic association board there. Timberlake Estates resident Maria Palumbo served with Dietzen and remembers him fondly.

"We held a meeting at the firehouse one night, and after the meeting he was very excited to walk us around and show us all the equipment and trucks," Palumbo recalled.

Dietzen loved Timberlake Estates and was especially protective of the development's lake, Palumbo said.

"He would run our weed harvester, which took many hours and a lot of work to help clean our lake of weeds," she said. "He would stop by our neighborhood beach every day on his way home from work just to check on things."

Dietzen "worked tirelessly to make our community the best place it could be," Palumbo said.

"Our neighborhood will never be the same without him," she added.

In addition to his public service, Dietzen owned the Body Shop of Barrington, an auto repair business.

Dietzen's survivors include his wife, Candy, and their children.

Funeral information was not immediately available.