Sonia Mae (Flickner) Dittmer, 92, passed away peacefully on April 29, 2025, at home in Gilbert, AZ.
Sonia was pre-deceased by her husband, Delmond Dittmer, brother-in-law Keith Steinbeck, brother and sister-in-law, Marlin & Doris Dittmer, decades long friends, Gail and Shive Shively, Joyce Bonitz and Norma Shumaker.
She is survived by her sister Donna Steinbeck, her daughters Tressa (Carolyn Shumaker) and Sheri Dittmer, nieces Pamela Steinbeck, Darcy DeBoer (Preston) and Anita Statts (Dittmer), decades long friends, Pete Bonitz and John Shumaker, and the Bonitz/Shively kids — Lew Bonitz, Lori Yost (Bonitz), Ron and Rich Shively.
Sonia was the eldest of two daughters born to Tressa (Coyer) and Orve Flickner, born at home, in Inwood, IA on November 15, 1932. She started her education in a one-room schoolhouse 1/2 mile from their farm, and graduated from Sanborn High School, where she met Del Dittmer.
After high school, she worked as an aid at the Hartley Senior Care Center (aka Gladie’s place). She married Del on June 5, 1955, in Sanborn, not long after he returned from his navy service in the Korean War. On her father’s advice to “go west young man”, she and Del moved to Phoenix, AZ. It helped that Del’s brother and his wife were already there. Soon after buying a house and starting work, they met life-long friends, the Bonitzes and the Shivelys.
The family moved away from Phoenix for a few years, but returned for good in 1969, so Tressa and Sheri could finish school without moving.
Sonia had a passion for gardening (veggies and plants) and enjoyed working in her yard. You could tell she was working inside on a nice day, when Herb Albert and Tijuana Brass could be heard from a couple of houses down.
She and Del retired to Overgaard, AZ in the late 90s, where they made more incredible friends, and helped to build Faith Lutheran Church.
During the early stages of COVID, Sonia and her two cats moved in with Sheri and her two cats in Gilbert.
Sonia enjoyed traveling, near or far, as long as it meant time with family and friends.
She was “helper”, she especially liked to help her “older” friends and neighbors…in her later years she had a hard time realizing that over time she had become one of those “older” people.
Resthaven/Carr-Tenney Mortuary & Memorial Gardens in charge of arrangements.