Mary Lucille deDianous

A visitation for Mary will be held Wednesday, January 3, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Fairhaven Memorial Services, 27856 Center Drive, Mission Viejo, CA 92692. A funeral service will occur Thursday, January 4, 2024 from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM at Saint Timothy Catholic Church, 29102 Crown Valley Parkway, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677.

On December 19, 2023, 8 children, 24 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren said goodbye to their matriarch, as Mary Lucille deDianous (Goula) passed away peacefully at the age of 87.

Mary Lou was born on Jan. 2, 1936 in Cumberland, RI, the eldest of 5 children born to Mary and Alexander Goula. Raised in Pawtucket, RI in a house that is still in the family, she went to nursing school at Memorial Hospital, across the street from her home. It was at Memorial that she met and fell in love with Noel Charles deDianous, Jr., (13 years her elder), from Panama, as he was doing his medical internship. They married on November 22, 1956 and moved to Corpus Christi, Texas where Noel did his pediatric residency. Four of their brood (Deborah, Noel III, Michael, and Donna) were born in Corpus Christi before they moved to Aberdeen, SD to set up a medical practice and a home with these 4 and 4 more (David, Paul, James, and Diane). Mary Lou worked in the home as the cook, the cleaner, the shopper, and as she would say “the disciplinarian.” She was also the social director with many good friends in the Aberdeen area and also the best support for a new doctor trying to build a practice. There are early memories of her drinking black coffee and watching the soap operas Love of Life and The Young and the Restless while folding endless diapers and other laundry; packing the car or the camper for annual June trips to either the east or west coast; and doing a lot of cooking. A lifelong lover of Jesus and the Catholic faith, she sat the 4 older children in the pew in front of her while she sat with the 4 younger children…just to make sure everyone was behaving.

In 1975, they packed everything up and the family moved to San Bernardino, CA to start a new life when Noel joined the Air Force. Mary Lou continued her role as homemaker and also began to work as a caretaker for the developmentally disabled. California was their home for 16 years until Noel was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 1991. From there Mary Lou and Noel moved to Westminster, CO to be near their middle daughter, now also a pediatrician. They eventually moved in with their daughter and her family as Mary Lou courageously and lovingly took care of her husband in their home until he entered hospice and died on Feb. 15, 2000. Mary Lou stayed in Westminster and became very active in her church, St. Mark’s Catholic Church, helping put together and serve at various church receptions. She was also caretaker to her daughter’s 3 young children when they lost their father at an early age. Westminster became the hub for many visits from her other children and family members.

In January of 2013 she moved in with her youngest daughter in CA and, like Westminster, that house became the hub for many family visits. In addition, Mary Lou loved to travel to see her other children and grandchildren who were scattered all over the country. While she loved to give her kids a hard time when they didn’t call her enough, she said many times how blessed she was to have so many children to look after her.

Mary Lou moved into assisted living in 2020. Still enjoying her black coffee, (now decaf), and her daily glass of chardonnay, she was an avid fan of The Hallmark Channel, the BYU Channel, and of course The Catholic Channel, and was the biggest Shark Tank fan on earth. She would get anyone she could to watch with her the movies I Can Only Imagine and Heaven Is for Real, and relentlessly tried to get her grandchildren to read Shaken by Tim Tebow. She always had sweets on hand and all her kids and grandkids knew they had to speak using proper grammar or she would correct them. She loved the role of matriarch when we started the tradition in 2004 for regular family reunions, and one of her last wishes was that we continue that tradition. Little did she know that the love of family had already been permanently etched in the hearts of her children and grandchildren. She and Noel were the models of that love. She will be missed dearly and toasted often, especially at every family reunion to come!