Deklan John Dieterly

It is with tremendous sorrow we announce the passing of Deklan John Dieterly, 56, on September 5, 2021. Deklan was a loving and devoted husband to Susan, his soulmate of 30 years and his son, Grant, 17.

Deklan was born on January 4, 1965, in San Antonio, Texas to Duncan and Julie Dieterly. The son of an Air Force officer, Deklan's family moved frequently, settling down in Farborn, OH, the American heartland, which gave Deklan his practical, no nonsense view of the world.

In his late teens, the family went West, settling in San Jose, CA, where he attended Leland High School, and obtained a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.
Deklan graduated from San Jose State University with a BS in Finance. It was in college, he met the love of his life, Susan Pauline Dana, an art student.

While working in Finance, Deklan was drawn by the potential and challenge of software engineering. He started taking night classes at the local community college, and transitioned into a computer science career, a field he would remain passionate about all his days.

Looking for adventure, Deklan and Susan left the Bay Area and relocated to the beautiful foothills of the Rockies - Fort Collins, CO in 1998. Deklan loved the rugged Colorado experience. They loved their new home, enjoying hiking, biking, walking along the Poudre River, kayaking and exploring the lakes and trails dotting the landscape.

On January 5, 2004, Deklan and Susan welcomed their son Grant into the world, completing "Team Dieterly!" Deklan was very active in Grant's life, through volunteer work, reading and tutoring, and lots of dad and son outings. They were tireless fishing buddies and have so many wonderful memories of the one that got away. We are pleased that Deklan was able to see Grant grow up to be such a fine young man. He is so very much like his father.

While raising a family and working full-time, Deklan dedicated himself to furthering his computer science skills, and earned a Master's degree in Computer Science at Stanford University in 2006.

Full of curiosity and a life long learner, Deklan loved languages, and taught himself French. He was often found in his easy chair, with headphones on, watching French instructional DVD's practicing his conversational skills. If Deklan found a native French speaker he happily began a conversation, eager to practice his adopted language.

In addition to French, he had a passion for learning. He leaves behind his extensive library of books on math, science, history, art, literary classics as well as pop culture. Deklan found joy in understanding how things work, and had the drive and passion of the early Renaissance scholars.

Deklan says goodbye to his mother, Julie Adams, his immediate family - Julie, Katie and Alex, and Nina. In addition, he leaves behind many dear friends, neighbors and co-workers. Deklan was an active member of the Ft. Collins community, and was much loved.

He will be missed.