Diana Weiss was a doting wife to husband Martin for nearly 50 years, loving mother to Aimee (and Brian) Goldstein and Michael (and Virginia) Weiss, and adoring grandma to Jessica, Zachary, Casey, and Meri Goldstein. She was a talented artist who enjoyed painting, needlework, beading, and crafting, a collector (along with Marty) of miniatures for their antique dollhouse, a talented gardener who planted all her own flowers, a lover of funky fashion, and a wonderful cook and master entertainer for Thanksgiving and all of the Jewish holidays. But most of all, Diana cherished every minute of her time as a grandma to her four grandchildren, even as she battled Stage 4 cancer for almost 6 years.
 
Diana was born on February 20, 1943, in Brooklyn, NY. She was the middle child of Florence and Herman Spilfogel, with brothers Lenny who was two years older and Kenny who was ten years younger. For the first 13 years of her life the family lived in Brooklyn, where her father was a barber and her mother a seamstress. Herman came to the US from Poland shortly before WWII and caught rheumatic fever on the boat. Although he was seriously ill when he arrived at Ellis Island, Herman, or Hymie as he was called, hid his illness in order to enter the country. By the time he met Florence a few years later, he had a persistent cough which later worsened into a rheumatic heart condition. Despite his chronic illness, Hymie went to his barbershop every day and did his best to provide for the family. When Diana was 13, her father’s condition worsened and the family moved to Miami, Florida, hoping that his health would benefit from the warmer weather. 
 
Diana was always a strong student, excelling in writing, social studies, and everything relating to the arts. She was admitted to the University of Florida at Gainesville with a scholarship and a dream of becoming a teacher.  Shortly thereafter, however, her dad succumbed to his illness, and her mom was forced to get a full-time job to support the family. Accordingly, Diana withdrew from school to take care of her little brother, who was only eight at the time. 
 
When Diana was 20, her cousin set her up on a blind date with a boy from Brooklyn, Marty, who was her husband’s best friend. It was love at first sight, and Diana and Marty were married within the year. They settled in Brooklyn for a brief time, had a daughter named Aimee, and then moved to Detroit and later Bexley, Ohio for Marty’s job as a traveling salesman. When Aimee was four, little brother Michael arrived and completed their close-knit family. The family later moved to Roslyn, NY, to a home they would live in for more than 20 years.
 
Diana and Marty had a marriage that was envied by all who knew them, always holding hands as they walked down the street and openly displaying their affection towards each other. Diana took great pride in taking care of her family. She made home-cooked meals every night, packed elaborate lunches for school, carefully maintained the house, planted flowers in the front and back yards every season, paid the bills, and took care of home repairs, food shopping, etc. She was also a fighter. When Michael was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, she successfully fought for him to receive services at a time when public schools were not required to do much more than putting such students in a separate classroom. 
 
Diana also had an endless stream of projects and hobbies. She was a talented and creative artist, painting portraits of women whose facial expressions told a thousand stories. She knitted sweaters, purses and pillows that were works of art, and beaded exquisite elaborate jewelry for herself and every member of the family. Diana also encouraged her children and grandchildren to pursue creative outlets. When Michael went to art school and later opened his own gallery, she was his biggest fan. When Marty and Diana began collecting miniatures and making dollhouses as a hobby, she spent countless hours with Aimee and Michael making tiny vegetables out of clay and painting furniture with them for the dollhouse. Later, she taught Casey to knit and crochet when she was barely five, and instilled in her a love of painting, drawing, and beading. With Zack, she visited every museum in New York City and Washington DC and cultivated his love for Broadway shows. And even after she was starting to slow down, Grandma Diana made it to every one of Meri’s dance competitions and recitals. 
 
Without a doubt, Diana’s greatest treasures were her grandchildren. When the kids were little and Aimee and Brian were both working, Diana drove them to and from nursery school every day. Diana and Marty often picked them up for lunch and an afternoon in the park or at the library, and then made a delicious home-cooked meal for dinner. Even after cancer had ravaged her body and she could no longer walk, she came over a few times a week to “direct” homework and the making of dinner. 
 
 
At 65, when Diana was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer that had already metastasized to her brain, the doctors told us that the average patient lived 6 months and less than 5% lived 5 years. It surprised no one that Diana beat the odds. When she was diagnosed Meri was 3, Casey was 8 and Zack was 11. Not only did Grandma Diana make it to Zack’s Bar Mitzvah but she was at Casey’s 3 years later. Because of her strength and determination, we had 5 extra years of camp visiting days, trips to Florida and Washington DC, home-cooked meals, holiday dinners, shopping excursions, and lazy afternoons by the pool. Because of her fight, Meri, Casey, and Zack will always remember Grandma Diana’s warmth, creativity, bravery, dignity, and most of all, her love.