Diane M. Erbe

     When Diane M. Erbe walked into the room, those in her company felt energy, an enthusiastic spontaneity. This was just one example of who Diane was and how she impacted those around her. Diane was a clever and gregarious person who always sought out the finest attributes in other people. It was as if Diane wanted to share all of their experiences, revel in their lives and celebrate their discoveries. Diane was tireless and had boundless enthusiasm that would serve her well throughout her life.

     Diane was born on April 3, 1940 at Hayward Hospital in Hayward, California. She was the daughter of Walter and Minnie Widlund. Diane was raised in San Leandro, California. Always at the ready with a good joke, she grew up to be quite a humorous person, following in her father's footsteps. While some who knew Diane might describe her as an idealist, her friends and family understood well that Diane was always enriching the lives of those around her.

     As a young girl, Diane was able to empathize and identify with a vast array of people and personality types. This quality drew her into a diverse group of friends and acquaintances. Diane was intelligent and had little trouble getting along with her peers. She was almost always the first to jump in when it came to playing games or participating in other childhood activities. She played accordian in the Welldonian Band. In her spare time she liked to draw and cartoon. Diane's memorable achievements included winning many art contests as a child. Diane had the ability to find amusement with almost any activity she and the many childhood friends she shared, might discover.

     During her high school years, Diane responded enthusiastically to any new project and was regularly in search of one adventure after another. She graduated from San Leandro High School in 1958. Diane was a very good student, and generally did well in her courses. Diane absorbed as much as she could from all of her teachers and was consistently able to tackle conceptual and abstract problems, using her imagination to master her assignments. For Diane, school often became just an extension of playtime, thanks to her ability to turn just about anything into a game. Classmates considered Diane a good listener, as well as a good talker, they could go to her to discuss just about anything. She had no favorite class, she loved them all. She was the class secretary and she also worked on the school newspaper. Her high school years was the beginning of her socializing and developing relationships; which she carried on throughout her life.

     Diane did well in college, as a result of her comfort level with tackling new theories and her love of learning. She earned her B.S. in Business Education as well as a Lifetime Teaching Credential. Diane was very adaptable, a quality that helped her make the transition from high school to college with little difficulty. As a result, Diane's problem solving skills and thirst for new knowledge almost guaranteed that she enjoyed virtually every class she took. Diane was always in quest of new things to learn and experience to have. During all of her school years she worked at Capwells and coordinated their fashion shows. Her experience at Capwell's influenced her towards a degree in business. At the same time, her love for children led her to combine her business degree with a teaching credential and to pursue a teaching career.

     With a talent for making acquaintances easily which in turn brought her an endless stream of friends, Diane was very sociable and could blend without effort into any social group. Assertive and outgoing, Diane was easy to know and demonstrated a deep concern for others. She always seemed aware of what was going on with people around her and throughout her life she made many, many friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Lorraine Fawstina (Hawkins), Sandy Govea, Lyn Reiner, Susan Little and Don Dore. Later in life, she became friends with Denise West, Brenda and Benny Wiggins, Faith Frazer, Tessie Barrera-Carbone, Helaine Knight, Tony Medeiros, Sharons Adam, Noela Dunn, JoAnn Sours, Bob and Dee Price as well as many, many others. For Diane, the door to her house was always open. As a consequence, her friends quickly became family. Her joy was in feeding both friends and family.

     On August 23, 1969 Diane married Hugh Richard Erbe at St James Luthern Church of San Leandro, California. Diane's skill at “building bridges” played an important role in her ability to make her new family happy. She was quite sensitive towards Hugh's needs, showing her constant concern and fondness. Diane was tenderhearted and sensitive, qualities that served her well in helping to nurture her family.

     Diane was a natural and creative parent who was willing to provide her family with all sorts of new and interesting experiences. For Diane, parenting was a particularly enjoyable and pleasurable part of her life. Every activity, from chores to bedtime routines, became a game in the Erbe home. Diane's skill at understanding her children's feelings, her sensitivity to their needs, and her gift for gentle persuasion enabled her to find novel solutions to any problem or situation that might crop up. Diane was blessed with two children: one son Michael and one daughter Michele. They were also blessed with three grandsons, Kyle, Curtis and Justin.

     Diane was uplifted by new ideas and was excited by life's possibilities, traits that made her an exceptional worker. Her primary occupation was a elementary school teacher. She was employed for 23 years as a public school elementary teacher. Diane had the ability to make teaching entertaining and learning fun. Her creative genius and cutting talent inspired and captured the attention of all around her.These abilities endeared her to both students and parents alike as well as her colleagues. Many of students call her grandma to this day.

     Because Diane loved to have a broad variety of activities in her life, she took advantage of the opportunity to pursue numerous hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were art and music. Diane had a knack for being able to multi-task in order to create time for all of her favorite pastimes. However, Diane's ever-present concern for others always took precedent.

     Diane was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list was Oakland A's Baseball.

     Throughout her life, Diane was actively involved in professional and community organizations. She was compassionate, accommodating and quick to move into action. Always able to build a consensus, Diane seemed to be the person smack dab in the middle of things, working to get things done. Those who had the opportunity to work with Diane usually agreed that when you were involved in an organization with her, it was as entertaining as anything you could imagine. Throughout her later years, Diane was an active member of the P.T.A. and the Retired Teachers Association. She was also very active in the Highschool Reunion Committee. Diane was also very passionate about the humane treatment of animals and donated much energy to their cause.

     Diane was a woman who was dedicated and devoted to her faith. She was a member Church of the Assumption Catholic Church. She was sympathetic and able to empathize with others and she used these qualities to guide her life and raise her children.

     Though she never did anything solely for individual recognition, Diane's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and selflessness, earned her accolades for her many lifelong efforts. Some of her most prestigious awards included Teacher of the Year and the admiration of those around her.

     When Diane had the opportunity to travel her favorite vacations were ones that included her husband as well as with all her family. Her favorite vacations included going to Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Lake Tahoe, Clear Lake and the Indian Gaming Casinos.

     Diane was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Her dogs were Smokey, Beauty, Buttons, GiGi, Hobo, Rosie and granddog Otis. Her cat's were Tiger, Frosty, Boots, Pepe, Kitty as well as grandcats Kitty and Dash. Diane also had a bird named Jasper. She was a person who loved animals and was always willing to take in a stray. Diane loved all of her pets.

     When Diane's retirement finally came in 2000, Diane handled it the way she usually did. She adapted and, like everything in her life, made it satisfying. Because she was such a flexible person and able to adjust to any situation, retirement was just another enjoyable change of pace for Diane to master. Her new life kept her in San Leandro as well as giving her a new role as grandma. Nevertheless, in retirement, she found new pleasure in traveling to the Indian Casinos and Lake Tahoe with her husband and to Bass Lake with her grandkids. Even in retirement, Diane continued to stay in touch with her old friends and like always, made plenty of new ones. Nevertheless, her main focus in retirement was always her family.

     Diane Erbe passed away on August 5, 2009 at home in San Leandro, California. Diane's death was sudden and unexpected. She is survived by her mother Minnie, her husband Hugh, two children Michael and Michele, her children-in-law Jim and Kim as well as her grandchildren Curtis, Kyle and Justin. Her services were held at Guerrero Mortuary for the Visitation and Church of the Assumption, both in San Leandro, California. Diane was laid to rest in Holy Sepulchre Catholic Cemetery in Hayward, California.

     There was always a certain style and inventiveness to Diane. She was a dynamic, self-expressive person who was forever looking to celebrate the endless possibilities life had to offer and giving herself to others. She had a knack for being clever, creative and witty, and for others, was a joy to be around. While she was often fiercely independent, it seemed as if many others looked to Diane Erbe for inspiration, leadership, wisdom and even courage. Diane was always more than willing to share life's experiences with her loved ones.