Adolf Frederick Dittman, Jr.

BROWNSVILLE, TX. – Adolf Frederick Dittman, Jr. was born on the 20th of March 1928, and died peacefully at home on Friday, the 1st of August 2025.

He was born in Brownsville, Texas and lived there almost his entire life. Adolf’s father, Adolf Frederic Dittmann, Sr. immigrated from Germany in 1885 and married Iva Ada Kouns of Cleburne, Texas. He opened the Dittmann Theater on Washington Street, the largest stage south of San Antonio that had movies with sound. Currently, Rutledge Hamburgers is adjacent to the old theater.

Adolf Jr. was the youngest of three, and the only boy, “Sonny”. He was always fascinated by nature and the outdoors. As a young man, he delivered newspapers from his bike, played the bass drum in the Brownsville High School marching band, raised bees, enjoyed hunting and fishing, and drove his friends around the Valley in his old jalopy.

With his mother’s permission he joined the Marine Corps at age 17 and after graduation was a China Marine, serving in Tsingtao, China with the 6th Marine Division. The icy cold conditions convinced him that Brownsville was the place to be, so after his service was done, he returned to Texas and attended Texas A&M University, graduating with a degree in Wildlife Management in 1952.

Adolf was always a man of few words. His friend, Roy Reed, once said of Adolf, “That sphinx fella in Egypt is a regular chatterbox compared to Adolf Dittman.”

Adolf had his fill of discipline in the Marines, so was one of the few “non-regs” on campus at that time, not joining the Corps of Cadets. When many of his classmates were shipped off to Korea after graduation, he was able to stay in Texas. Adolf worked for the state in Anahuac before returning to Brownsville as a station agent for Braniff Airways. He was responsible for everything from selling tickets, to loading bags, to guiding the planes into the gate area. In 1955, he married June Rusteberg and started farming with her father. He was quite successful and made the front page of the Wall Street Journal with one of his bumper crops of tomatoes. He also managed a trailer park that his father started, hosting some of the early Winter Texans in Brownsville. Both of his sons, Mark and Eric, spent much of their youth helping Adolf on the farm and later in his citrus nursery business. They had many adventures that ended with, “Don’t tell Mama!”

Adolf enjoyed traveling in Mexico, honeymooning there and going on camping trips with the church youth groups as his sons were growing up. He especially loved going to Rancho del Cielo with Barbara Warburton and Larry Lof when the biological station was overseen by Texas Southmost College. Adolf found a unique grapefruit in his orchard in the mid-70’s and propagated it, planting grapefruit orchards with his dark red fruit all over the Rio Grande Valley. He also bred and grew beautiful amaryllis flowers. He was known for his random acts of kindness and generosity. If you found a bag of grapefruit on your doorstep or a fruit tree or rosebush planted in your yard, you would know that Adolf had been there. If Adolf planted it, it would grow! Their retirement home was built in 1986 on an old cotton field but is now surrounded by 49 mature oak trees as well as a variety of fruit and other tropical trees, all which he planted by hand.

Adolf was preceded in death by his parents, Adolf Frederic Dittmann, Sr. and Iva Ada Kouns Dittmann; by his sisters, Iva Danielson and Ellen Cloetta; and by his granddaughter, Maggie Dittman.

Adolf is survived by his wife of 70 years, June R. Dittman; by his sons, Mark Dittman (Kathy), Eric Dittman (Sheri); his grandchildren, Hilary Lock (Al), Ashley Dittman (Carmen), Matthew Dittman (Shelby), Jonathan Dittman, and David Dittman (Juliane); by his four great-grandchildren; by his nieces, Deborah DuMond and Laurie Danielson; and by his nephew Larry Cloetta (Becky).

The family wishes to express their gratitude to his loving caregivers, Betty Balderas and Maria Lightcap, and the skilled staff at Gentiva Hospice.

A Memorial Service will be held at two o’clock in the afternoon on Saturday, the 23rd of August 2025 at First Presbyterian Church, 435 Palm Boulevard, Brownsville, on the corner of Elizabeth Street and Palm Boulevard.

In lieu of floral arrangements and customary remembrances, contributions may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 435 Palm Boulevard, Brownsville, Texas 78520 (www.fpcbrownsville.org), or to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org).

Memories of Adolf may be shared at www.darlingmouser.com.

Personalized funeral arrangements directed by Steven R. Hieu Bailey, CFSP and Staff have been entrusted to the care of Darling-Mouser Funeral Home at 945 Palm Boulevard in Brownsville, Texas 78520, (956) 546-7111.