THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2024 75 peacefully on Oct. 29, 2023, at his home in Falls Church, Va. Born on Sept. 19, 1939, in Santa Cruz, Calif., Mr. Dakan was the son of Helen and George Dakan. Growing up on the coast, he became a lifeguard and avid surfer, a passion that kept him young in body and mind well into his later years. After graduating from Santa Cruz High School, Mr. Dakan studied dentistry and boxed for two years at the University of San Francisco. His affinity for sports and coaching led him to San Jose State University, where he also played volleyball and earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1961. In 1963, inspired by President John F. Kennedy, Mr. Dakan joined the Peace Corps, serving in Semarang, Indonesia. During his two years there, he met Damayati (Maya) Djoyoadhiningrat. In late 1965, they were married in a service not far from where Maya was born, in Oegstgeest, the Netherlands. By late 1966, Mr. Dakan had joined the Foreign Service, and he and Maya moved to Laos; there, they started a family and stayed for the next eight years, only leaving the country when USAID exited in 1975. From that point forward, Mr. Dakan’s career was dedicated to public service. He either worked directly for or contractually with USAID in Laos, Burkina Faso, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand, and Belize. He also served in Washington, D.C., as the Pakistan desk officer, and earned a mid-career, USAID-supported graduate degree in agricultural economics from Stanford University. In 1999 Mr. Dakan retired from the Foreign Service following assignments as mission director in Belize and office director in the Latin America and Caribbean Bureau. But he continued to work with USAID, including once again in Indonesia, following Timor Leste’s independence in 2002 and the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, where he was particularly invested in sustainable coffee enterprises in Timor and in the reconstruction of the 175- kilometer Aceh Road in North Sumatra. From 2008 to 2023, Mr. Dakan continued to give back, but this time as a career coach to new entrants into USAID’s Foreign Service, helping guide them through the organization’s ever-evolving structure and culture. He maintained lasting connections with many of those colleagues, offering support and guidance throughout their career trajectories. He will be remembered for his unwavering dedication to and firmly held belief in the value of public service. Family and friends across generations will also remember him for his warmth, curiosity, caring nature, and humor. Mr. Dakan is survived by his spouse, Maya; his two daughters, Lana and Sinta; their families, including four grandchildren; and his brother, Don Dakan. n Wilma Louise Ditter, 91, a retired USAID Foreign Service administrative assistant, passed away in Merced, Calif., on Oct. 18, 2023, after a lengthy illness. Ms. Ditter was born in McKeesport, Pa., on Aug. 21, 1932. After graduating from Ambridge High School in 1950, she spent 15 years working for Pittsburgh Steel Forgings. She moved to California to be near her sister before becoming an administrative aide for the U.S. Agency for International Development. During 24 years at USAID, Ms. Ditter was posted in Washington, D.C., Nigeria, Laos, Jordan, and Upper Volta (now Burkina Faso). Ms. Ditter retired from USAID in 1990, and two years later, she moved to Los Banos, Calif. For almost 30 years, she was an active member of United Methodist Women, and she also served for many years as the church collection secretary. Friends remember her dry sense of humor and a fondness for Oreos, jalapeño peppers, Coca-Cola, and fancy Starbucks drinks, and her love of dachshunds. Ms. Ditter was predeceased by her parents, Sadie and George W. Ditter; sisters Leah (and spouse Walter) O’Donnell and Martha Jean (and spouse Louis) Giese; and niece Kay Linda (and partner Arion Mowers) O’Donnell. She is survived by nephews Kent O’Donnell, Jay (and spouse Maryellen) Giese, and Roy (and spouse Kathy) Giese; multiple great nieces and nephews; and beloved friends Susan and Hans Younce, SanDee and Tom Rooney, and Juli and Gregg Rice. In lieu of flowers, her family and friends ask that donations be made to the ASPCA or the memorial fund of the Los Banos United Methodist Church. n Wade Hampton Bynum Matthews, 90, a career Foreign Service officer with the rank of Minister Counselor, of Sarasota, Fla., passed away on Aug. 29, 2023. Mr. Matthews was born in WinstonSalem, N.C., to Marshall Lawrence Matthews and Mary Preston Bynum Matthews. He was the eldest of three boys, who lived apart for several years upon the illness and death of their mother when he was 10 years old. The world intrigued him even before he began reading newspapers daily at age 7. Passionate about animals at an early age, he graduated with a degree in zoology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1954. After serving two years in the U.S. Army, he finished a year of law school at the University of Florida. He joined the Foreign Service in 1957. During his Foreign Service career, he lived
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