Do angels walk among us on earth? If you ask Bill Dietrich, he will tell you his wife, Imogene, was truly an angel.

Dietrich and their daughter, Stacey Scanlon of New Tripoli recently spoke with The Press about Imogene, who passed away unexpectedly on March 16.

“She had one of the largest showings at her viewing and funeral at Keller Funeral Home and so many people had their own stories of how much she touched their lives,” Scanlon said. “She was truly an angel.”

Imogene, a 1975 graduate from Northwestern Lehigh High School, married Dietrich in 1973.

“One of the things that made her fall in love with Bill was when she saw him washing his 4-H animals at the Allentown Fair and decided she really wanted to make the animals feel loved and wash them, too,” Scanlon said.

“Little did she know she would be helping Bill and later her two kids, Steven and Stacey, wash their 4-H animals for the next 27 years.”

Imogene was also in 4-H and a 4-H leader for 20 years, Scanlon said.

“She loved children and she lived for all the grandchildren,” Dietrich said, adding Imogene was a very loving wife, very caring and she was always by his side on whatever they had to do. I would discuss with her on a daily basis the farming decisions I had to make and she was always supportive.

“Whenever she worked with me in the fields, she would draw a heart in the dust on the farming equipment and put Billy and Imy inside it. Imogene always thought of everyone else before herself. She truly cared about people.”

In 1999 when Dietrich’s father Russell K. Dietrich died in a farming accident, Imogene suggested they set up a scholarship in his name.

“We have given out a lot of scholarships in his name in the past,” Dietrich said. “Imogene knew it was important knowing how modern farming is very high tech to have students educated on making sound business decisions in farming.”

The family created the Imogene M. Dietrich Memorial Scholarship in her memory.

“The scholarship is given to a graduating senior at Northwestern Lehigh High School who is furthering his or her education in agriculture or its related fields,” Dietrich said.

“Having been married to a farmer for more than 43 years, Imogene knew the importance of agriculture in feeding the world’s population.”

“Working at Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. for more than 40 years, Imogene understood the benefits of furthering one’s education,” he said. “Hard work, kindness, and dedication, which Imogene consistently displayed, are examples of what someone needs to succeed in today’s society.”

Scanlon said she and her brother Steven both attended college and earned degrees relating to animals and farming.

She attended The Ohio State University, College of Veterinary Medicine and is a veterinarian at Nazareth Veterinary Center. Her brother earned a Bachelor of Science degree in dairy science from Delaware Valley College.

Steven, a dairy farmer in Kempton, lives down the road from their dad’s farm.

Scanlon said her mother always valued education and was always very generous.”

“It made her happy to see others succeed,” she said.

This year’s $1,000 recipient from Northwestern is Hana Toth, who will be pursuing a degree in biological engineering from Penn State. She is the daughter of Zeina and Andy Toth, an employee of Air Products and Chemicals Inc., of New Tripoli.

“We congratulate Hana on this well deserved award and wish her the best at Penn State,” Dietrich said.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their cards and words of encouragement to us. It has meant a lot to us in this difficult time.

“Also thank you for the generous donations given to the memorial scholarship.”

Donations may be made at New Tripoli Bank to the Imogene M. Dietrich Memorial Scholarship account.

“Imogene was truly an angel here on earth and her legacy of caring for people will continue in her memory for years to come,” Dietrich said.