Diane Wemstrom

Diane (nee Wojcik) Wemstrom, 80, passed away peacefully on Thursday October 2, 2025, in Palatine, IL. Born on April 12, 1945, in Chicago, IL, to the late John and Helen (nee Nykoluk) Wojcik, Diane is preceded in death by her husband Richard and her brother Daniel. She is survived by her daughter Jennifer (Scott) Wemstrom, grandsons Kyle and Nathan, and step grand-daughters Ashley (Alex) Demitroff and April (Drew) Mitchell. Diane was a favorite Cousin and Auntie to many.

Diane graduated from Holy Family Academy in 1963, excelling academically and athletically. She was adventurous, incredibly intelligent, and loved spending time with her friends. Her early years were spent attending music concerts like Joey Bishop, Tony Bennet, and her favorite Johnny Mathis, attending Kennedy political rallies, and traveling to California and Jamacia. She loved to retelling stories of those experiences.

In 1966 Diane started working at Gossard in Chicago and met the love of her life, Richard Wemstrom. They started a long-distance relationship, as Richard was attending the University of Dayton, and their courtship also weathered the death of Richard’s parents. But she knew in her heart it was meant to be and on August 10, 1969, they were married at Holy Trinity Church in Chicago.

Richard was a man of many accomplishments, but he often said, “Diane taught me how to love.”

Diane gave birth to Jennifer in 1970, and her and Richard settled in Buffalo Grove in 1971. When Jennifer was in grammar school, she went back to work as an Executive Assistant, first at Beltman North American Van Lines, then Searle Pharmaceuticals, and finally finishing up her career at Astellas. She excelled at her career and was often cited as the “go-to” person to get things done, and her humor and quick wit made her adored by anyone that worked with her. Many of her work colleagues have become dear lifelong friends.

Diane’s incredibly generous spirit, humor, and unconditional love were her hallmark traits. Diane and Richard hosted many family parties over the years, sharing the importance of family and special traditions like Oplatki. She never missed a birthday, anniversary, and was the greatest gift giver. Always a stylish woman, she had a knack for picking out the best clothes for everyone, and even young kids looked forward to clothes from Busia or Auntie Diane. But the greatest gift she gave was the gift of herself. She was the person everyone wanted to confide in. She was the person that made each and every one of us feel special, as she listened to our stories and told us hers. She had a way of connecting at a truly authentic level with everyone she loved.

She simply dedicated her life to her family and friends; always thinking of others first before thinking of herself. A life of generosity takes strength, which she had in spades, and that strength was put to the test when she was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in her early 60s and later ALS in her 70s. She was in constant pain, but that pain didn’t diminish her love of life. She still attended all her grandsons’ events, hosted family gatherings, and traveled on cruises with her friends and weekend getaways with Richard as long as she could.

But as the pain and immobility grew, as much as she loved life, she was ready to be reunited with Richard. And as she taught Richard to love, she taught us all how to love - by being the best daughter, wife, mother, Busia, aunt, cousin and friend - and we will have that gift forever.

Flowers are welcome, but please also consider donating to:

ALS United https://alsunitedchicago.org/

National Fibromyalgia Foundation https://www.fmaware.org/

A visitation for Diane will be held Thursday, October 9, 2025 from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Glueckert Funeral Home, 1520 N Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004. A funeral mass will take place on Saturday, October 11, 2025 at 10:00 AM at Saint Mary Parish, 10 N Buffalo Grove Rd, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089. Inurnment will follow the funeral mass at Saint Mary Cemetery, Buffalo Grove, IL.

Luncheon following at Saranello’s 601 N Milwaukee Ave, Wheeling, IL 60090, all are welcome.