Diana Monaco

Ms. Diana Monaco passed away Thursday, April 14, 2016 at the Gilchrist Hospice Center in Towson surrounded by the love of her family and friends. She fought a long and valiant two-year battle with the effects of pancreatic cancer. Diana was the only daughter of Antonio and Irene Monaco and was born in June 1949 in Yonkers, NY. She attended local public and parochial schools in Yonkers and graduated from Port Chester, NY High School in 1968. Diana was preceded in death by her parents, a half-brother Charles Rudolf, and, most recently, her brother Anthony Monaco. In May 1999, Diana married LtCol(Ret) Bob Gross of Bel Air, MD. She is survived by her husband, three daughters, Diana (Ryan) LaTosh of Kingsville, MD, Victoria Sturgill of New Freedom, PA, Amy (Rich) DeBolt of Jacobus, PA, and one son, Maj Matthew Gross of Stewartstown, PA. She is also survived by her most beloved seven grandchildren, Adrina LaTosh, Hunter and Logan Sturgill, Lorelei and Grace DeBolt, and Sarah and Kathryn Gross.

Diana's greatest joys were helping others, spending time with her children and grandchildren and traveling. Her major goal during the last months was to spend as much time with her immediate family and close friends and relatives in order to create as many great memories as possible. Diana enjoyed traveling; a spark that may have been ignited shortly after high school when she spent a few years living in Germany. Since her marriage to Bob, she has traveled across the U.S. as well as to Norway, Thailand, Iceland, Germany, and Italy with plans for more travels. In 2013 she was overwhelmed with emotion after finding her grandfather's (Joseph Monaco's) grave in Corigliano Calabro, Italy, after he left Yonkers and returned to his homeland in the early 1950s and died in 1965.

Following graduation from high school Diana's professional career included positions with the Noxell Corporation in New York City and General Electric Credit Corporation in Stamford, CT. In 1985 she moved to Maryland and started her 20-year career as a senior executive assistant with Lockheed-Martin Corporation in Middle River, MD. Her exceptional abilities and work ethic earned her perpetual high praise from her contemporaries and company senior executives. She was publically and formally recognized by Lockheed-Martin when presented with their Employee Excellence Award during their "Night of the Stars" gala in March 2002. Diana retired from Lockheed-Martin Naval Electronic and Surveillance Systems in 2005.

The funeral for Diana Monaco will take place at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Bel Air, MD on Friday at 10 AM. Visitation will occur at Schimunek Funeral Home of Bel Air, Inc. 610 W. MacPhail Rd. Bel Air, MD 21014 on Thursday from 4 to 8 PM. Interment Bel Air Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, contributions should be sent in Diana's memory to the Johns Hopkins Medicine in support of their pancreatic cancer research programs: JHU/Development Business Office, ATTN: Gift Processing Supervisor, 3910 Keswick Road, N2100, Baltimore, MD, 21211. Contributions can also be sent to Gilchrist Hospice Care, Inc., 11311 McCormick Road, Suite 350, Hunt Valley, MD 21031.

The family wishes to thank all of the healthcare professionals at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, University of Maryland's Greenebaum Cancer Center, Upper Chesapeake's Kaufman Cancer Center, and the Gilchrist Hospice Care for their loving care of Diana throughout her battle with cancer. They also want to thank the many friends and relatives that provided her with love and support throughout her terrible ordeal.