Dr. Dan Zendner
January 19, 2018
My Dear Patients and Friends,
I am excited to announce that after practicing dentistry for 41 years, I have decided to retire. I could not do it if I had not found my perfect replacement, Dr. Justin Diederichs (more about him later). I have really enjoyed being your dentist here in Colfax. This town and my patients mean the world to me but I really need to take more long walks in the sunshine and spend time in the mountains I love, hiking in Yosemite and skiing at Northstar and Heavenly.
I love all of you very much and cannot thank you enough for your support and friendship! I will continue to live here and will claim Colfax as my home forever. When I moved here in 1977 I had no idea how perfect this spot on the earth is, nor how great it would be to be part of this small community. As I have traveled to a lot of places in the last few years, both in and out of the United States, I have not found any place I would rather live.
Carol and I have a lot of opportunities to travel because our son, Will, is a pilot for Delta Airlines, allowing us to fly standby anywhere in the world for free. He and his wife also make excellent tour guides. Attending more softball games to watch my granddaughter pitch and playing golf with my six-year-old grandson while I can still win are high on my new priority list, along with continuing to hang out with my daughters and son-in-laws.
Dr. Diederichs and I are thrilled that he is taking over for me. He is excited to have the opportunity to take care of members of a community that have already given so much to his family, and that will continue to do so well into the future. His focus at work is on providing high quality patient centered care, tailored to the specific needs of each individual person. Spending the time getting to know the patients, and treating them as unique individuals as I have always done, is extremely important to him.
Dr. Diederichs was born in Anchorage, AK and after moving as a young child spent most of his childhood in the greater Seattle area. For college he moved to San Diego to attend Point Loma Nazarene University and earned a bachelor's degree in biology. He went on to obtain his dental degree in 2011 from the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry (my Alma mater, 1976). Upon graduation he returned to the foothills where his wife was raised to put down roots and raise his young family. Dr. Diederichs resides in Meadow Vista with
his wife Kara, and their three children, Kaia (10), Caleb (7), and Lucas (19 mos). Also pictured is niece Taylor. Kara is a biology teacher at her Alma mater Colfax High (1999), and also coaches the Lady Falcons soccer program for whom she once excelled as a player.
When not practicing dentistry, Dr. Diederichs spends most of his time running around with his kids to all of their various sports and activities. When he gets a minute to himself he usually splits his time between projects around the house, the golf course, and the lake when the weather gets warm enough. I know you will all find that he is more than capable of taking over for me and continuing to serve you with the same compassion and quality that I have always strived to deliver.
Along with Dr. Diederichs, Dr. Jensen and all the other smiling faces of Colfax Dental Center will still be there to take care of you. Dr. Diederichs takes over February fifth but I will still be finishing the work I've started.
It really has been a pleasure to be your dentist and thank you for your support. I still plan to be around town and look forward to bumping into all of you at the lake, the river, and the local golf courses as well as at Lions Club events.
Sincerely,
Dan Zendner, DDS