Dianne Marie Obermueller

Mom's life as a child and teenager was adventurous and fun: playing in the gardens of her Grandparents, traveling the country with family, swimming and sunbathing by Minnesota lakes, being a member of her High School's ice-skating unit and of course having fun with her boyfriend Dennis (yes, our dad) cruising around in his "hot-rod" cars in the late 1950's, a tradition that continued throughout their 65 years of marriage!

Dianne and Dennis married on November 14, 1959, and together built a family that was their greatest joy. They were blessed with five children: Debra, Suzanne, Ronald, and twins Annette and Anthony. Dennis worked at NSP (Excel Energy) while Dianne devoted herself to raising their children, creating a home full of warmth, love, and laughter.

Their first home was on Ross Street in St. Paul Minnesota, where they were surrounded by family, friends, and the support of their community as they navigated the challenges of life, including Dianne's diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. Despite the challenges, Dianne and Dennis made a beautiful life together, full of memories. In time, they built a beautiful home in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, where Dianne took great pride in decorating her home with class and warmth. It was a place where love and family thrived. Mom carried love of family always. Among the many ways she showed this love was by transplanting her grandmother's Lily of the Valley flowers to her mother's garden, to her gardens, and to her daughter's garden, where the love and the flowers continue to thrive.

Mom planned and cooked a delicious family sit-down dinner with dessert every day, from homemade noodles to Beef Stroganoff and Angle Food to Devils Food Cakes. She shopped to provide nutritious meals, looking closely to make sure the ingredients did not include items that could cause an allergic reaction. She loved grabbing items on sale too. Sometimes we had peach upside down cake instead of pineapple when peaches were on sale. She once tried a trend of using powdered milk, possibly to supplement the 9-1/2 gallons of milk we consumed every 3 days, sneaking it into an empty milk carton, hoping to fool us into thinking it was our good old normal milk. The trend lasted for about 3 days. One day, Mom passed around a container of Beef Jerky; we all grabbed a strip and started chewing. Mom returned the container to the kitchen and came back laughing so hard she could not speak. When she gained her composure, she told us to stop eating; the Jerky was dog treats! "No wonder they were not expensive," she shared, and dad thought they were a bargain.

It was very important to Mom and Dad to "ALWAYS" make sure everyone knew they were loved and treated fairly. Any one of us children could share information or discuss a happening, plan, or event with them, and they maintained our confidence, unless specifically told to share. Such deep respect for and love of our individuality was basic practice and finely balanced with family closeness, leaving a legacy of beautiful family values...THANK YOU!

It is unbelievable how hard Mom worked to take on the challenges of Multiple Sclerosis and live a long fulfilling life that created wonderful memories for everyone she touched! Humor sometimes found its way during her hard work. One time, the twins pushed mom's wheelchair up to the Koi Pond at the entrance of the, then new, Disney World in Florida. They let go of the chair, as they had become captivated by the huge Goldfish - which were much bigger than Fred in their fishbowl at home! What was happening to mom? The chair was rolling backwards down the walkway, and she couldn't shout because she was laughing so hard.

It would have been IMPOSSIBLE for Mom to create active and beautiful memories without the loving, dedicated, and detailed hands-on care of her life partner, our father Dennis. She so deeply loved and appreciated every moment he spent being by her side and caring for her. She shared her love and appreciation out loud frequently and until her eternal sleep. She loved and appreciated every one of our family members - children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and always know, in-laws were embraced as closely as her direct descendants. She expressed great thanks to all of us for our love and support for her journey of life on earth. Mom said, "I will miss you all", and we told her "We will miss you too!" You will always be in our hearts, and we will see you again up in heaven. You are an angel by our side.

“We love you always!!”