Karl Diller -- Obituary

Karl Conrad Diller – gentle soul; lifelong intellectual; world traveler; lover of music and the arts; professor and student of linguistics and genetics; and beloved husband, brother, father, grandfather, uncle, godfather, and friend – died peacefully of kidney failure at his home in Oakland, California on May 7, 2022. He was 83 years old. Karl was born in 1939 in Wooster, Ohio, where his parents modeled civic responsibility and fostered intellectual curiosity, as well as a love of music and gardening. His father, Oliver Diller, PhD., was a forester and a pillar of the community who advocated for racial integration and religious freedom, among other causes, and had a significant influence on Karl’s sense of justice and purpose. Karl’s international worldview was developed early, influenced by his Mennonite background and, more immediately, by letters from his Aunt Laura, sent from India and Africa. He was also influenced by his involvement in the national youth leadership of the Presbyt