Diane B. Winter

Our strong, beautiful, beloved mother Diane, passed away after a brief illness on September 28th at 87 years young. Strong-willed and family-focused to the very end, she waited until her family from around the country had gathered around her before leaving this world for her next big adventure. She has now joined her husband of 64 years, Charles (Bill) Winter, and many other beloved family and friends, including her lifelong best friend, Joan Marullo.

Our mother was unceasingly fearless. From growing up as an only child, to becoming “The Head Mother” of seven children, she didn’t flinch when she and our father moved seven kids from the heart of the 19th ward – a place she had lived her entire life – to a fixer upper farmhouse in Bloomfield, which she turned into a beautiful, warm, welcoming home. She also didn’t flinch when our sister Jill won two squirrel monkeys in a church raffle (it was the 60’s!), or when our brother Gary asked for a one-horned goat (José), or even when she heard there was a hospital research pig (John the Pig) in need of a home, and who we later found out needed a nightlight when the barn got dark. She and her friend Marge picked John up in the trunk of a convertible and had a memorable 30 mile drive home.

Over the years, she was a girl scout leader, a church leader, was awarded (with dad) “Class Parents” at Julie’s HS graduation, welcomed numerous AFS students into our home, as well as a Fresh Air “son” (Ralphie), and always made room for one (or many) more at the dinner table. Our standing Saturday night bonfires included our parents’ friends as well as our own, and our father always remarked that he never knew who would show up at the breakfast table. Our mother’s famous line was always, “What’s one more?” She had a heart of gold, and a soft spot for people and animals in need.

Not one for doling out sympathy to her kids, her infamous words while we were growing up were “Don’t worry, it’ll be better by the time you’re married”, yet she was a formidable force of nature when her family truly needed her. Like the day Mike and Mark each broke their arm in separate accidents, (making the front page of the newspaper with the headline “Twin Troubles”), or the many care packages, pots of soup and dinners she prepared when someone was sick or going through a hard time. She always made every Christmas and birthday feel special … maybe to make up for making us all sing Girl Scout songs on every road trip to family vacations, so we wouldn’t fight in the car over who had to sit in the “back-back” of our Country Squire station wagon!

Growing up, mom allowed us to “express” ourselves in many ways – like Greg’s floor to ceiling solid black bedroom, or Andy’s Evil Knievel-like ramp set ups that regularly popped up in our driveway. She encouraged us to take classes to try new things or follow a passion – dancing, drums, art, piano, judo, pottery, film making, taxidermy (be careful opening the freezer!) and more.

Our mother also loved trying new things – whether it was organizing a progressive dinner group with friends (an amazing cook), hosting theme parties and barn dances, starting her own bookstore business in her 50’s, or going down the Olympic Bobsled run in Lake Placid with our brother Mark in her 70’s, she rarely said no to something that sounded like fun. She loved road trips with friends and family and traveling with dad to visit their kids in Alaska, Chicago, NYC, Bellingham and Saranac Lake. She also loved her Florida (“paradise”) life with dad during their time in Melbourne.

Known for her love of garage sales & thrift stores, gnomes, Broadway musicals, crème brulee, a good laugh from a funny card, watching Hallmark movies (because “they always have a happy ending”), and all things Christmas – her gnome garden was legendary, as was her stash of thrift store treasures that she loved sharing. But nothing in the world made mom as happy as spending time with her family – she especially loved her role as Grandma and Great Grandma. Rocking babies in her lap was one of her specialties, along with her ability – right up to the end – to choose gifts for the great-grandchildren that would inevitably become their favorites.

We will forever miss her cannonballs and sauerkraut, her Christmas cutout cookies and award-winning pies, her “cruise director” abilities at family gatherings, and every other BIG and LITTLE way that she will be missed as the heart, soul, and Head Mother of the crazy, loving family that she and dad created.

A heartfelt thank you to Karen and her staff on Hastings 3 (St. John’s Home) for the kind, compassionate care they gave to our mother and to our family in the last two weeks of mom’s life. We will forever be grateful for their professionalism, caring nature, and humor to help get us through this difficult time.

Diane is survived by her two daughters, Jill (Monty) Bauer and Julie (Bob) Winter, her five sons Michael (Baree), Mark (Nanette), Gary, Greg (Amanda) and Andy; nine grandchildren, Katie (Josh) Tyler, David (Noelle) Bauer, Alex (Molly) Bauer, Ethan Appleton, Jessica Winter, Will Miller, Jenn Ivimey, Emma Winter Zeig, Bethany (Todd) Hoover; seven great grandchildren, Ella and Charlie Tyler, Bode and Navy Bauer, Willow, Jack and Annabel Hoover; half siblings Judy Thurlow, Eric Smith and Bert Smith, and beloved cousins and friends.

Due to Covid, services will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org) or setting another place at your table for a friend or family member.