Woodville resident collected antiques

9/10/2001

WOODVILLE - Dennis L. Deitemeyer, the manager and driver for John Cousino Flowers, Gifts and Antiques here, died yesterday after a 11/2 year battle with brain cancer. He was 54.

John Cousino, Mr. Deitemeyer's best friend for 20 years, said the deceased was popular and known throughout Woodville as an avid collector of antiques. Mr. Cousino said he credited the growth of his business to Mr. Deitemeyer's friendly ways and ability to attract people.

“He was a very outgoing person and everyone in the community knew him,” Mr. Cousino said. “He brought a lot of people into the shop because he was always out meeting people and they would come in just to talk to him.”

Mr. Cousino said Mr. Deitemeyer was recently divorced and looking for work when he came into his shop 20 years ago. He said they immediately hit it off as friends and Mr. Deitemeyer seemed to have a knack for working with flowers and antiques.

“We were in this little house across the street and we had a lot of lean times,” Mr. Cousino said. “We were able to make it through.”

Mr. Deitemeyer was diagnosed with brain cancer about 11/2 years ago and was given six months to live, Mr. Cousino said. He had an operation at the Cleveland Clinic to remove the tumor and had to learn walk all over again.

“No one thought he would ever be able to walk again,” Mr. Cousino said. “He started off getting in and out of the wheelchair and slowing started walking with a cane again and really made progress.”

That progress stopped in April when he suffered a seizure because of another brain tumor.

“Through it all, he always had a smile and he always had a joke to pass the time away,” Mr. Cousino. “He never complained once about what he was going through, and if anyone deserved to do so, it was him.”

Mr. Cousino said Mr. Deitemeyer enjoyed traveling to antique shows and expanding his collection.

Mr. Deitemeyer's son Shawn Deitemeyer said his father got him hooked on collecting antiques. He said he will remember his father as a big country-western music fans.

“He loved going to fairs and listening to the country music,” Shawn Deitemeyer said. “He accepted people for who they were. He overlooked things that other people would tend to look down on. He was a very accepting person.”

Mr. Deitemeyer also was the manager for the Petro Fuel Co. in Perrysburg for 10 years and for the Woodville Gas Co. for 10 years.

Mr. Deitemeyer's survivors include sons Shawn, Ryan, and Neal Deitemeyer; parents Richard and Helen Deitemeyer, brother Richard Deitemeyer, and three grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Woodville United Methodist Church, 2001 West First St. There will be no visitation. A private family graveside service will be held later at Troy Township Cemetery, Luckey.

The family requests tributes to Hospice of Northwest Ohio or to Woodville United Methodist Church.