Susan Jane Dittmar

Susan Jane Dittmar, age 74, of German Valley, IL, passed away on August 1, 2025, at FHN Memorial Hospital, in Freeport, IL. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, August 6, at Law Jones Funeral Home, in Elizabeth, IL. Visitation will take place from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., before the service. Burial will follow at Elizabeth Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Friends Forever Humane Society.

Susan was born April 19, 1951, in Madison, WI, the daughter of Rellis and Jane (Lightfuss) Kottke. She attended Cambridge Schools, graduating from Cambridge High School with the class of 1969, then going on to attend the University of Wisconsin Whitewater. After her graduation from UW Whitewater, Susan began teaching at Freeport High School. In all, she taught there for more than 30 years.

It was in the Freeport area, where Susan would meet her future husband, Ward Dittmar, and on July 15, 1978, in Cambridge, the young couple was married. They made their home in German Valley, where they would raise their son, and live the rest of their days.

Susan was the type of woman who enjoyed life’s simple pleasures. She enjoyed antiquing, often taking day trips to Wisconsin and other parts of Illinois, and loved to fish! Blue Gill and Northern Pike were her specialty. Every year, she and Ward would travel to the Upper Peninsula (with their son, for many of those years) to fish their favorite spot – each year, the same resort, same cabin, and same great time!

Always a lover of animals, Susan owned many beagles and cats throughout her life. As she grew older, Susan most enjoyed following her granddaughters’ sports and activities, living vicariously through their moments of joy and success.

Susan will be dearly missed by her son, Ben (Krysta) Dittmar, of Normal, IL; granddaughters, Paige Dittmar and Khloe Dittmar; sister-in-law, Phyllis Kottke; nephew, Michael Kottke; and niece, Jennifer Bykowski. Susan is preceded in death by her parents, Rellis and Jane; husband, Ward; brother, David Kottke; sister-in-law, Beverly Dittmar; and brother-in-law, Gary (Helen) Dittmar.