ANNA MARIA – Like so many others on Anna Maria Island, the ground-level house at 101 Mangrove Ave. that long served as home to the late Jack and Betty Dietrich and their family has been demolished.
The demolition took place March 25-27.
Jack, a former principal at Anna Maria Elementary School, passed away in August 2022 at the age of 92. Betty passed away in February 2010. Betty’s father built the home in 1925 and it was renovated and expanded over the years. The property is located at the beach end of the street, near a beach access point.
Betty Dietrich’s grandfather built the family home in 1925. – Dietrich family | Submitted
The former Dietrich property is now owned by 101 Mangrove LLC, which lists Adam Guy, of Columbia, Missouri, as its manager. In March 2023, Guy and the LLC purchased the property from the Dietrich children for $3.6 million.
The carport was demolished on March 25. – Joe Hendricks | SunThe Dietrich home was demolished on March 26. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Between the time of the sale and the demolition, the home was a short-term vacation rental. After the sale, the Dietrich children – Beth Conner, Jan Smith and Greg Dietrich – rented their parents’ former home on two different occasions to spend some final time there together before it was gone.
The Dietrich family home was recently reduced to a pile of rubble to make room for a new residential structure. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
After receiving photos of the demolition taking place, Conner, via text message, said, “So sad. My grandfather built that house in 1925 for his family to summer there. Many generations have so many wonderful memories there. It was the gathering place for our family and friends. Selling it was one of the most difficult things my siblings and I have ever had to do. We’re so grateful for having grown up there and sharing it with our children and friends. The house and the famous porch were a family affair. If you were there, you were family. The memories are too many to count and will be with us until we are torn down ourselves.”
By March 27, most of the rubble had been removed. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
After the house was demolished, a family friend grabbed five pieces of wood from the pile of rubble to give Conner the next time she visits.
In 2022, Jack Dietrich, 92, was joined on the porch by family friend, Rick Lewis, daughter, Beth Conner, and son, Greg Dietrich. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Family friend and former Anna Maria resident Rick Lewis spent many hours on the Dietrichs’ porch.
“They had family get-togethers, birthdays and holiday parties, but one thing that was huge for many years was the parties on “The Porch,” during football games. Of course, it was the Bucs and the ‘Noles games, but there were always big games to be celebrated. FSU vs. Miami was a big draw, but the big daddy of them all was FSU vs. UF. Those games would bring 15 or more fans from both sides. So many highlights and the memories will never go away,” Lewis said.
ANNA MARIA – Longtime resident and former Anna Maria Elementary School principal Jack Dietrich, 92, passed away on Aug. 1.
A memorial service will be held at Roser Memorial Community Church on Saturday, Aug. 13 at 1 p.m.
In the early 1960s, Jack and his beloved wife, Betty, moved into the Anna Maria home originally built for Betty’s parents in the 1920s. Jack and Betty married in 1955; she passed away about a dozen years ago. Dietrich is survived by his daughters, Beth Conner and Jan Smith, his son, Greg Dietrich, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Before becoming a teacher, Dietrich flew fighter jets in the U.S. Air Force while stationed in Panama City, Florida. After moving to Anna Maria, he taught fifth grade at Bayshore Elementary, served as a teacher and the principal of a two-room school in Duette and taught fifth grade and served as the principal at Parrish Elementary. He was then transferred to Anna Maria Elementary School in Holmes Beach in 1967, where he served as the principal for four years.
“When I came to Anna Maria Elementary, it was a different program with the Island kids. They were good kids. I paddled some of them on the butt, but we’re still the best of friends,” Dietrich told The Sun in March.
He was then transferred to Ballard Elementary in Bradenton before he helped open H.S. Moody Elementary in Bradenton in the mid-70s, where he served as the principal until he retired in 1992.
When asked about his approach to work and life, Dietrich said, “I never had trouble with anybody and I was always friendly to everybody. I’m happy and not looking for problems. I’m 92 and I’m still going. Anytime the Lord wants me, I’m ready to go. I have a good life and I’m ready for the next one.”
Jack and Betty’s home on Mangrove Avenue features a large, wrap-around porch where they, as Florida State fans, often hosted football watching parties and other gatherings.
In his spare time, Dietrich liked to spend time on the nearby beach with his family. He also enjoyed sailing and he participated in sailboat races hosted by the Bradenton Yacht Club in Palmetto. While in his late 50s, Dietrich ran the New York City Marathon. Dietrich served as a deacon at the Island Baptist Church, which later became CrossPointe Fellowship. He served as a Gideon and was a former member of the Anna Maria Island Rotary Club.
Parting thoughts
When asked about her father’s passing, Beth said, “I am trying to imagine life without him. He was so loving and he stood for all things good. I will always continue to strive to make him proud and to become more like him.”
Jan said, “He will always be my hero.”
Greg said, “He was a wonderful husband to my mom, a great father to our family and a dear friend to all.”
Jack Dietrich was beloved by his daughter Beth Conner, his son, Greg Dietrich, and his daughter, Jan Smith. – Rick Lewis | Submitted
Jack’s long-time friend, Rick Lewis, lived in Anna Maria until just recently.
“I first met Jack in the late 70s, when I met Jan and Greg. He was a blast to be around and some of the things he said have lived forever amongst our close-knit crew. The days and nights on his porch were epic, watching football, baseball and golf. After my father died in 1992, Jack became someone I could talk to like a dad. He was always there to listen. Jack was a special human who loved people, and it showed. The memories of the ‘porch’ and the words of wisdom Jack delivered will live with us forever. The Island has lost a great man. I love you, Jack,” Lewis said.
Rick Lewis frequently visited his long-time friend, Jack Dietrich. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Dietrich’s longtime friend, Pat Slowey, and his wife, Annie, spend part of the year in Anna Maria and part of the year in Pittsburgh.
“Jack was the last of that generation of fine gentlemen and there’s so many people on the Island that knew him,” Pat Slowey said, speaking by phone from Pittsburgh.
“I used to sit with him at night and he would tell stories about growing up, moving to California to get his college education so he could get into the Air Force, his fighter pilot training, his excitement about getting over to Korea to help the cause and then things changed and the war was over and he finds himself down in northern Florida where he meets Betty – and the rest is history,” Slowey said.
Jack Dietrich and Pat Slowey had many enlightening conversations on Jack’s porch. – Pat Slowey | Submitted
“I’ve never met a better example of courage. I was with him up in St. Pete last fall when he had his colonoscopy. Beth and I drove Jack up and we knew it was going to be a battle. We talked to the surgeon and the oncologist and we knew that he was in palliative care. It was not something they could cure. We knew he had a short time to live and it was crazy how well he did, how long he lived and how long he was able to hang out with us. The last couple months were pretty rough, but I’ve never seen anything quite like the courage he exhibited. He’s an inspiration. It was a double-edged sword: You want him to be here because he’s so special, but you also want him to move on, which he was ready for. Jack was a man of faith and he knew where he was going. It’s tough, but he’s dancing with Betty now and it’s a new beginning for him,” Slowey said.
Jack Dietrich welcomed many visitors on his legendary porch. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
ANNA MARIA – Former Anna Maria Elementary Principal Jack Dietrich, 92, is living out his golden years surrounded by family members and friends at his Anna Maria home.
These days, Jack can be found on his front porch, sitting in his favorite rocking chair reminiscing and talking with friends, family members and beachgoers.
Those who know Jack and his late wife, Betty, who passed away at 82 in 2010, likely spent time on the Dietrich’s porch watching Florida State football games and attending other gatherings.
Dietrich has dealt with some health issues in recent years, including a recent cancer diagnosis, but he continues to live at home with help from his son Greg Dietrich, who lives in Bradenton; his daughter Jan Smith, who lives in Bradenton; his daughter Beth Conner who lives in Richmond, Va. and visits regularly; his granddaughters and grandson; the nurses who assist him and longtime friends Rick Lewis, Dale Woodland and Pat and Annie Slowey.
Jack Dietrich receives frequent visits from his daughter Beth Conner, his son Greg Dietrich and his daughter Jan Smith. – Rick Lewis | Submitted
The Dietrich’s beachfront home on Mangrove Avenue was built by Betty’s parents, James Alexander Robbins and Alice Clark Robbins, in the 1920s and served as the family’s Island getaway.
“This house was built with lumber my mom’s family milled at the Willow Mill,” Beth said.
The Dietrich family home on Mangrove Avenue was built in the 1920s. – Submitted
Betty’s father and uncle founded the sawmill in the town of Willow in 1926. Located in north Manatee County, near Parrish and the Hillsborough County line, Willow began fading from existence during The Great Depression and after the sawmill moved to Tampa in 1937.
“Betty’s younger years were spent in Willow,” Beth said, noting her mom’s family later moved to Tampa and then to Bradenton.
Jack Dietrich’s front porch still serves as a gathering place for family and friends. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
Jack was born and raised in Columbia City, Indiana. After high school, he attended college in California for two years before joining the United States Air Force.
“I went to school in California so I could get two years of college to be a pilot. This was during the big band era. I could read music and I would sit in on the drums sometimes,” Jack said, noting he played with big band leader Les Brown when his drummer wasn’t available.
“Around the time of the Korean War, I was in Las Vegas at the fighter pilots’ school and we were waiting to go to Korea. They said the war’s over, you’re going to Florida. The next thing I knew I was in Panama City and I flew jets there for about four years,” Jack said.
This wooden model of the jets Jack Dietrich used to fly sits in his living room. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
While stationed in Panama City, Jack met Betty in 1954.
“My mom went to Panama City to teach after she graduated from Florida State, which was a women’s college at the time,” Beth said.
“She was there when they let in the first men, and the University of Florida was a men’s college,” Greg added.
While dating Betty, Jack visited Anna Maria Island and Anna Maria for the first time. He said there were only about four homes on Mangrove Avenue at the time and Ernie Cagnina’s IGA store, which opened in 1946, was the place to go for groceries.
Jack and Betty got married in 1955 in a Methodist Church in Fort Walton Beach. After Jack left the Air Force, they moved to North Webster, Indiana and bought a Crystal Flash gas station.
“Then I bought Frank’s Pizzeria. In the summer, I made far more money in the pizza business than I did in the gas business,” Jack recalled.
At the same time, Jack was earning his bachelor’s degree in education.
“I took Betty from Florida to Indiana and we were there about six years. She was a Floridian and she froze while we lived there. During our last year there, I worked as a teacher at the North Webster school I graduated from. I taught fifth grade,” Jack said.
An educator’s life
The couple moved the family to the Anna Maria home in 1963 or 1964.
“I taught fifth grade at Bayshore Elementary. The next year I went to Duette, out in the boondocks, and I was there for about a year. It had two rooms, but we called it a one-room schoolhouse. I was the teaching principal. I taught the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades and I had 13 students – probably about four in each grade. You could get into a subject and everybody was interested in it so everybody learned at the same time. I had another teacher and she had first, second, third and fourth grades, and kindergarten twice a week. It was mostly farmers and ranchers who lived out there and every time I got in the car to come home there’d be vegetables in the back of my car,” Jack said.
“It took me about 45 minutes to get from here to Duette,” Jack said of the commute he made in his Chevy Corvair. “Now it takes almost that long to get off the Island.”
After working in Duette for about a year, Jack was transferred to Parrish Elementary where he taught and served as principal.
“The Parrish kids were farm kids and they always behaved. I don’t think I ever had any problems,” Jack said.
Jack was part of the group of men who gathered regularly at the Rod & Reel Pier – a group that was a precursor to the Anna Maria Island Privateers. He and Betty and the kids usually spent their weekends on the beach and they often dined at Pete Reynard’s restaurant in Holmes Beach, which was known for its rotating salad bar.
“Pete Reynard’s was the place to go. The old Sandbar was there too. There wasn’t much going on in those days,” Jack said.
Greg and Beth mentioned Webb’s Drug Store and Key Sundries as other Island businesses they frequented as youths.
In 1967, after about a year and a half in Parrish, Jack was transferred to Anna Maria Elementary in Holmes Beach, where he served as principal until 1970 or 71.
“When I came to Anna Maria Elementary it was a different program with the Island kids. I paddled some of them on the butt, but we’re still friends,” Jack said.
“Everybody on the Island knew me. On weekends, people would call and ask me to open up the school so their kid could get their violin because their grandparents wanted to hear them play, and stuff like that. After four years, they moved me to Ballard Elementary in town,” Jack said.
In the mid-1970s, Jack left Ballard Elementary and, as principal, helped open H.S. Moody Elementary in Bradenton, where he worked until he retired in 1991.
Family and friends
Jan recalled growing up in the family home on Mangrove Avenue.
“My mom would cook dinner at night and dad would have an aluminum rocking chair in the kitchen while mom was making dinner. We always knew there was love in our house. It was a loving and fun family. I had friends who loved coming to our house because it was different than theirs. It was a great place to grow up and I couldn’t ask for better parents. They taught us love, how to have fun and to take responsibility for our actions,” Jan said.
“I’m so grateful he’s my father. He’s a fun guy and we’ve had a blast being around him. He’s humble and he’s never met a stranger. He’s somebody I’ll always look up to and he’s taught me so many things. He was our principal when Greg and I went to Anna Maria Elementary. He was always fair. He loved the kids, he had a good sense of humor and he expected them to take responsibility for their actions,” Jan said.
Regarding the annual football parties her parents hosted, Jan said, “The place was packed. We’d have chairs all the way to the back of the porch. Sometimes we had 20 people watching the Florida State-Florida and Florida State-Miami games. The porch was a fun place and everyone was welcome.”
A recent visit to Jack Dietrich’s front porch found him accompanied by his longtime friend Rick Lewis, his daughter, Beth Conner, and his son, Greg Dietrich. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
While sitting on Jack’s porch recently, Rick Lewis said, “I’ve known Jack since the early 70s, when I met Jan and Greg. I was an in-town kid. I grew up on 59th Street. Our bus driver, Ruby Bass, would pick up the Island kids and we were the first bus stop in town. A lot of us are still friends to this day. Jack’s got quite the crew and it gets quite busy here during football season. I’m a Florida fan and we can’t agree on our college teams but we all love our Bucs.”
“He also had time to run the New York Marathon,” Lewis noted.
“I ran the New York Marathon when I was 58. I went there just to see the city from the streets and run through the five boroughs. That was one of the best things I’ve done in my life,” Jack said.
“He was a deacon in the Island Baptist Church, which is now CrossPointe. He was in the Rotary club and served as president for one year. He was also a Gideon, with Anthony Rossi, the founder of Tropicana,” Beth said.
“We put Bibles in hotels and motels and I used to talk to a lot of churches,” Jack said.
“He was also in a play in the Island Players called ‘Sunday in New York.’ He played the pilot, one of the main characters,” Beth said.
“Jim Zerby, the mayor of Holmes Beach at the time, never knew his lines and you never knew what he was going to say,” Jack added.
Jack also raced sailboats.
“I belonged to the Bradenton Yacht Club in Palmetto and I was in the races they had there,” he said.
“One summer in the early 80s we sailed to the Bahamas with a couple other boats – mom, dad, Jan and I,” Greg said. “We had a lot of motor problems and spent a couple days on dry land sleeping in the boat at night.”
When asked about his approach to work and life, Jack said, “I never had trouble with anybody and I was always friendly to everybody. I’m happy and not looking for problems.”
“When he was a principal, his faculty just loved him. He used to have Christmas parties when he was at Moody and a lot of the young teachers would come out here. He always got along with everyone. People still walk by here all the time and wave to him and say hi,” Greg said.
“He has a lot of friends,” Beth added. “He’s friends with the people who patrol the parking, he’s friendly with the people who park out front, he’s friends with the garbage men and people stop by to bring him food.”
As for what the future holds, Jack said, “I’m 92 and I’m still going. Anytime the Lord wants me, I’m ready to go. I have a good life and I’m ready for the next one.”
