Hugs from Diane
Losing someone special isn’t easy. As we learned that Diane was going to die, we did our best to prepare. But, when that time came, I was struck with a heavy wave of loss, sadness and grief. I would smile when I thought about her, but at the same time I’d miss her deeply. I came to realize that I couldn’t be drenched in the waves of sadness I was feeling. I wanted to embrace these emotions, but I thought they could be better suited with a subtle…rebranding. My idea here is that the loss, sadness and grief I was feeling was simply the inverse, the emotional opposite, of all the special and wonderful and loving memories of my mom.
When I’d feel a wave of sadness welling up, I’d embraced that wave, not as sadness, but rebranded, as a warm hug from Diane. The bigger the wave, the bigger the hug. It’s her way of letting us know that she’s with us and loves us too. If you’re feeling heartache, a lump in your throat, your eyes welling up, just know that’s Diane embracing you and thanking you for caring for her.
One Little Flower
Original lyrics with a borrowed tune, performed by David Westfall at Oak Hill Country Club on July 15, 2022.
Diane’s Last Laugh
If you ever had plans with Diane you probably know that being punctual wasn’t her strong suit, she was almost always running late. Being fashionably late—15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes—was something the Pearse family learned to accept. After moving to Colorado, they were able to celebrate the holidays with Uncle Dave and his family that also lived Colorado. Dave is a wonderful host—delicious food, loads of wine—he told the Pearses to come over around 4, food on the table by 5, they arrived promptly at 6:30. Colin’s wife, Kathleen, caught on to this tendency of tardiness, and has actually given it a name. The acronym “P.F.T.” which stands for Pearse Family Time.
The day after Diane’s passing, Trip, Travis, Colin and Nathan met with a representative from the local funeral company to make all the arrangements. His name was Jake and he was wonderfully helpful. Jake got the Pearses organized, helped them make a plan, and Jake even sent a follow-up email recapping everything discussed. Would you like to guess the subject line of Jake’s email? The perfectly titled subject line of Jake’s email: Regarding the late Diane Pearse. Thank you Diane for working a lifetime to set up one last laugh. And, thank you for the big hugs you're giving us now.
Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6qfb2oQwwuau9pzUFoVWrf
We created this playlist to have as background music at Diane’s memorials. Shuffle, play and enjoy.
Oakwood Cemetery in Penfield, New York.
Diane resting peacefully in the shade.
Tribute
Thank you to our friends at Horan & McConaty for the video template and our musician friends—The Beatles, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole and The Beach Boys.
“…Carl Simone…”
-Diane