Diane DiPalma

She was the life of the party; Diane loved to be out and about, usually decked out in red or leopard print and only a song away from dancing on the tables. She enjoyed an occasional drink but hardly needed it; her joy just naturally bubbled up. Of course she did enjoy the occasional inappropriate joke; the darker the better. Her laughter pulled her and everyone else through their darkest times. Many knew her warmth; Diane was one of those people who kept an eye out for people experiencing tough times. Middle of the night, if you had a problem, she’d hop out of bed, jump into her car and come solve it. While she rescued her fair share of humans, she did the same for many animals, her home full of pets ranging from dogs to cockatiels to domestic rats. She was born in the Bronx and lived in Staten Island before moving to Washington Township, Pitman and Logan. She worked as a medical assistant at several area doctor’s offices but found her real calling as a grandmother. Nanny would take them out for one-on-one dates, slip them occasional gas money, spoil them with Starbucks and ice cream and she never missed an event. You’d see her in the background of all the first-day-of-school pictures. She bowled a little in her youth, loved the sounds of Bobby Sherman and Rod Stewart and loved the beach even if she hated the water.
The pretty Diane was set up on a blind date with a handsome guy named Richard; both of their sisters happened to be friends. The Thanksgiving bowling date would lead to a 50-year marriage blessed by three children, Gina (Jeff) Reiter, Rich (Sarah) DiPalma and Diana DiPalma and later by grandchildren: Max, Alyssa, Adelyn, Sophia, Julia and Lyla. She was one of seven siblings and the family stayed close her whole life: Carmela Mantis, the late Christine Russo, Mario (Karen) Cavallo, Tommy Cavallo, Robert (Mary) Cavallo and Alice (Danny) Reis.
Wear some leopard prints and red and come celebrate 71 great years, Saturday March 21, 3-5 p.m. at Daley Life Celebration Studio, 1518 Kings Highway, Swedesboro where there will be a 5 p.m. Storytime service.