Day 353: Remembering Aunt Dianne

Hello, Patrica here. March is not only the month that we remember the birthday of our beloved Marie, but also the month we remember the loss of a dear aunt, Paul's godmother, Dianne Schwey Richman.  Aunt Dianne was such a special person we were all privileged to know....a remarkable mother, aunt, twin, sister, daughter and friend. She passed away from cancer in March of 2004, spending her final days at home with her adoring, devoted  and loving family.  Aunt Dianne, her wonderful husband Eddy and their two beautiful sons, Mark and Jeff, were such a pleasure to visit with on our trips to Portland during the 80's and 90's to see Paul's relatives.   We have such fond memories of our travels north to visit with the Richmans and Aunt Judy and Uncle Abe, Aunt Rita and Uncle Eddie, Aunt Helen and Uncle Harvey, Aunt Charlotte and Uncle Hy, and all the terrific cousins. They always made our family feel so welcome and loved.  Aunt Dianne and Uncle Eddie seemed especially smitten with my children, as they treated Bianca, Olivia and Sophia as though they were their own ....showering them with love, affection, visits to Boston and of course, many unnecessary but very much appreciated gifts.  Upon Dianne's untimely passing, she so passionately declared that her beautiful collection of dolls would be left to Bianca and Olivia. We were thrilled to be thought of as worthy of her prized treasures. To honor Dianne's passing, her son Jeff and his awesome partner Bill (with whom I have way too much fun with at Seder's and dance way too crazy with at weddings!) established a Dianne Schwey Richman Memorial Fund at Clark University, the college where they met, studied and worked.  Such a beautiful gesture. Because Aunt Dianne was a tireless advocate for children with special needs,(she was co-founder of Parents of Learning Disabled Students), her family created this memorial  fund at Clark to dedicate the monies to support future Clark students who have special educational needs.  We were happy to contribute in 2004, and today, eight years after her passing, we are happy to again honor Aunt Dianne and her family with a small donation to the Memorial Fund that honors both her namesake and humanitarian efforts.  Why again, 8 years later?  Honestly, as this year long blog comes to a close this month, we wanted to be sure to acknowledge all the love and connection we feel for our entire extended family in Portland.  We are blessed to have/had all of them in our lives.

www.clark.edu