Devoted life to church

For 30 years, William J. Dittmer ushered worshippers into early Sunday morning Masses at St. Ansgar's Catholic Church in Hanover Park.

While he served as a familiar face, his role as an usher served as an extension of his early years of service, helping to bring the parish to the far Northwest suburb.

Mr. Dittmer passed away Saturday. The 41-year resident of Hanover Park was 78.

In 1967, Mr. Dittmer and his wife, Jan, moved with their four children from Rolling Meadows to Hanover Park. With their fifth child on the way, they sought a bigger, more affordable home for their growing family.

One of the first issues the couple supported was the drive to open a Catholic Church in Hanover Park, serving worshippers then scattering to the surrounding parishes of St. John the Evangelist in Streamwood, St. Peter Damian in Bartlett, and St. Marcelline in Schaumburg.

Family members reflected that Mr. Dittmer served on the capital campaign to build the church. The fund-raising effort would take 10 years, during which worshippers gathered in Tefft Middle School in Streamwood for Sunday Mass.

Mr. Dittmer was a tool-and-die maker by trade, who spent 30 years working at Die Master in Elmhurst. However, his organizing experience with St. Ansgar parishioners led him to run for village trustee in the 1970s, which he ultimately lost.

He nonetheless played a large role in helping to shape the community. In July, St. Ansgar members will observe the parish's 40th anniversary, reflecting back on the original families who petitioned to start it, including the Dittmers, as well as the Rev. Jerome Riordan, their pastor.

It was Friar Riordan who had appealed to former Cardinal John Cody to name the congregation after the patron saint of Scandinavia.

The Rev. John Tapper, who succeeded Friar Riordan at the church, remembers that the parish was one of four to open in the Northwest suburbs in 1968, including Church of the Holy Spirit in Schaumburg.

"Jerry worked with Monsignor Koenig at the seminary to come up with the name," Friar Tapper says. "At the time, they thought it was a perfect connection."

St. Ansgar was a Benedictine monk who lived in the 8th Century in Corby, France, who was sent to evangelize throughout Scandinavia. When he returned, he was appointed as Bishop of Hamburg, Germany, and one of his first duties was to assign priests to Hanover, Germany.

These days, St. Ansgar serves approximately 1,100 families from Hanover Park and its surrounding communities, including many Spanish speaking families.

Mr. Dittmer is survived by his wife, Jan, as well as his five children, including: Ted (Dawn) Dittmer of Arena, Wis., Rick (Deb) Dittmer of Lone Rock, Wis., Joe Dittmer of Hanover Park, Hank (Jill) Dittmer of Tucson, Ariz., and Joan (Sean) McGee of San Diego, as well as eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. today at St. Ansgar Catholic Church, 2040 Laurel Ave. in Hanover Park.