Dianne was born on June 10, 1951, in Fresno, CA, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Barry Berg. As the oldest child, she was protective and maternal toward her younger siblings, Enid, Katrina and Kendall. She was described by friends as “precocious, mature, wise and well-informed, even at a young age.
Dianne graduated from Fresno State with a degree in journalism, and was employed in the public relation and advertising industry. One of Dianne’s favorite jobs out of college was as an Account Rep for Levi Strauss in San Francisco, which all of her college friends thought was so fun and glamorous. They took every opportunity to come visit her in San Francisco. She even used one of her friends, Lynn Chapman, in a photo shoot. Dianne met her husband Michael Giovingo while working in San Francisco and they were married in 1982. In 1983 Dianne and Michael moved to Connecticut when Dianne was recruited by Heublien, to be the Account Rep. to run the Jose Cuervo business.
In her spare time, Dianne went back to school, got a degree as an interior designer and subsequently changed careers and began work as an on-screen set designer. Dianne was always very interested in elegant entertaining and was an early fan of Martha Stewart… for whom she worked briefly on a set. (She was proud of the distinction of being fired by Martha for not being obsequious enough.)
Years later, Dianne became interested in holistic healing and transitioned to massage therapy. She founded and ran a holistic center in Guilford. More recently she became a massage therapist, Heart in Hands in Madison. In Guilford Dianne was first involved with Rotary International and was a member of the Guilford club and then the Madison club, when she moved her business to Madison. Only weeks prior to her taking over the Presidency of the Madison Rotary Club, this past June, Dianne was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer. Dianne was bold and passionate about her work with Rotary and, for her, it was either 'lead or get out of the way.' What is most difficult for those of us who knew Dianne, is that she was an absolutely caring and loving person, especially for her time with Rotary. Becoming President of the Madison Club was a dream come true for her and she relished every day she was able to give to the Club and her community. She was gracious and made the decision that she needed to step down and focus 100% on fighting her devastating disease just after Thanksgiving because she knew that she could not give her all to the Madison Club.
Dianne Loved Cats, and volunteered intensively with a local rescue group, Forgotten Felines. When Dianne’s own covey of cats grew to 11 or so, she decided to curb her rescue proclivities, and focus on her own brood. At the time of her death, she had 2 cats; Buster and Bjorn, which her husband, Michael will gladly care for, as they give each other mutual comfort from her loss.
Dianne also managed to learn the Swedish language as a mature adult, and went to Sweden for immersion camp to become fluent. She had always been close to her Swedish grandmother in California, and even aspired once to emigrate to Sweden. The women in the local Swedish Club, “The Swedish Ladies” were some of her best friends.
Dianne was a great cook and gracious entertainer. Her holiday parties were the height of her year. It’s very sad that she was unable to have her last holiday party this year, though she tried mightily to make that happen.
Dianne was a great listener, and always had empathy, great advice and insight for any problem or issue. She never shrank from sharing her own feelings and problems, no matter how vulnerable it seemed. She went through many hard times, but always had an easy, light-hearted humor regardless of what issues weighed on her.
We will all miss her very much.
Dianne is survived by her husband Michael Giovingo; brother Kendall Berg; sisters Katrina and Enid Berg.
A Celebration of Dianne’s Life and Visitation will be held on January 9, 4:00 –6:00pm at Swan Funeral Home, 825 Boston Post Road, Madison, CT
There will be a reception after the visitation, from 6:00-7:30 at the home of Marie and Bryant Boyd, 28 Hartford Ave, off Neck Road, in Madison.
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