Hanover, NH – Allen John Dietrich, age 77, died peacefully Friday, October 18, 2024, at home in Hanover, surrounded by his family after a long journey with frontotemporal dementia. He was born in Elizabeth, NJ on August 22, 1947, to Frederich and Helen (Getz) Dietrich.

Growing up, he was an accomplished saxophone player, earning 1st chair all-state honors in New Jersey several times. Allen graduated from Roselle Park High School in 1965 and then from Swarthmore College in 1969, where he made many lifelong friends. While attending medical school at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, OH, he developed a community-based primary care rotation that foreshadowed his future career in family medicine. After completing his internship at Cambridge Hospital, he spent a year in Papua New Guinea providing medical care in the newly independent country. He returned to complete his family medicine residency training in Rochester, NY in 1977, where he met and married Ardis Olson.

Ardis and Allen moved to Zuni NM where they spent two years serving as primary care doctors in the Indian Health Service. They then relocated to Palo Alto, CA where Allen began his career in primary care research as a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar. They settled in Hanover in 1982, where Allen began a long career at Dartmouth Medical School that combined medical student education, research, and primary care. His research interests focused on cancer prevention, and depression screening and treatment in both primary care and military settings. His work led to national prominence as a family medicine researcher, including appointments to the National Academy of Sciences, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, and a term as President of the North American Primary Care Research Group. Most importantly, Allen was a wonderful friend and mentor to many colleagues and faculty, both locally and nationally. He is best remembered for his kindness and his passion for helping others.

Allen loved good food, music, swimming, beaches and bodysurfing, birding, being outside, and spending time with his family. He was an enthusiastic traveler and took many exciting family trips including a six-month sabbatical in Australia, visits to Brazil and New Orleans, as well as vacations in the Caribbean and Martha's Vineyard. Later in life, he renewed his love for playing music, enjoying both piano and saxophone. Ardis and Allen continued to travel for many years, exploring the world in trips to Europe, Canada and Australia. He enjoyed being a part of the community at his church. Even as his memory started to fade, he continued to find joy in community engagement and helping others.

He is survived by his wife, Ardis Olson of Hanover; children Elise of Bristol RI, Karl of Walpole NH, and Tina of Huntington VT, their spouses, and five grandchildren, as well as his brother, Fred Dietrich and wife Joan of Montvale NJ. He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Helen Dietrich.

A memorial service will be held Saturday May 24, 2025, at 2 pm at the Church of Christ at Dartmouth College as part of a weekend gathering celebrating his life.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Upper Valley Haven in White River Junction, VT, or to Dartmouth Hitchcock's Community and Family Medicine Endowment in memory of Allen. Gifts to the latter can be mailed to: MHA, Dartmouth Health, One Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH, 03756. Please make checks payable to Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, note on your contribution that the gift is for the CFM Endowment, fund 4-25015, in honor of Allen Dietrich. To make a gift online, visit dhgeiselgiving.org.