Matthew J. Diker

Matthew J. Diker, 82, of Homosassa, Fla., passed away on Thursday, July 2, 2020, at HPH Hospice Care Center in Brooksville, Fla.  

A native of Staten Island, N.Y., he was born June 18, 1938, to Matthew and Alice (Mulligan) Diker, one of two children.  

Matt, as he was known to many, served his country proudly and honorably in the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1962 as a hospital corpsman. This was followed by a dedicated 35-year career as facilities supervisor for W.H. Brady Co. of Milwaukee, Wis.  

Mr. Diker moved to Homosassa in 2006 from Saukville, Wis., with his beloved late wife of 55 years, Diane C. Diker, who passed away on Jan. 7, 2015.  

Matt strongly believed in faithful service to his church and his community, and spent many hours serving others his entire life. When raising his family in Saukville, he spent many years as a volunteer fireman and was an active member of the Loyal Order of Moose.

While in Florida, he was a devoted parishioner of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Homosassa and a proud and active member of both the Knights of Columbus and St. Vincent de Paul Society.  

Matt was also a member of the American Legion and the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps “Corpsmen United” Association.  

Mr. Diker loved the Green Bay Packers, fishing and building model trains. He was also especially proud of his association with the Citrus County Sheriff’s Department as a member of their Community Crime Watch Division.   

 In addition to his parents and his wife Diane, he was preceded in death by a daughter Tanya Ewig of Milwaukee, Wis., and a sister Alice Wolner of Rome, N.Y.  

Matthew is survived by four children, Matthew (Kelly) Diker of Winneconne, Wis.; Elizabeth (Ross) Kersting-Peterson of Cloquet, Minn.; Michael (Lucy) Diker of  Greenville, S.C., and Diana (John) Derbas of Covington, La.; and grandchildren Catlin (Mike) Heinecke of Vergas, Minn.; Zachary and Nathan Derbas of Covington, La., Jacob Diker of Winneconne, Wis., and Isaac Diker of Greenville, S.C.; as well as his companion of two years Lavonne Knowles of Zellwood, Fla.  

A Catholic funeral Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church of Homosassa will be announced in the future for the fall of 2020 at www.wilderfuneral.com followed by United States Navy military honors at Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, Fla.          

Wilder Funeral Home, Homosassa, Fla., is handling the arrangements.