'Teddy Bear Of A Man' Dies After Falling Into Metal-Melting Container

PEORIA, IL — A Peoria man died last week after falling into a container used to melt metal at a Caterpillar facility in Mapleton, according to reports.

Steven Matthew Dierkes, 39, died about 9:30 a.m. Thursday due to the workplace accident, according to his obituary. The Peoria Journal Star reported that Dierkes fell into a crucible at the foundry and that the death is being investigated by the local coroner’s office and sheriff’s office, as well as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

A welding college graduate who loved the outdoors and animals, Dierkes was an adoring father to three daughters, ages 4, 5 and 12, according to his obituary.

“He was a hard-working teddy bear of a man with calloused hands and a tender heart,” the obituary said.

In an email to the Journal Star, a Caterpillar spokeswoman said the company was “deeply saddened” by the death and that safety was its top priority.

Dierkes’ death is not the first at the foundry in the last year, the Journal Star reported, noting a person fell 20 feet through a hole in the floor in late 2021.

For information about how to donate to a memorial fund for Dierkes’ children, see the full obituary.