Diane was predeceased by her father, Samuel Polis, a decorated veteran of both World War II and the Korean War; her mother, Elizabeth “Betty” Polis; and her brother, Stephen Polis. She leaves behind her husband of nearly thirty-five years, William Stewart, as well as her six dearly beloved children and their spouses: William Samuel (Muireann), Siobhan Elizabeth (Martin Pinckney), Christopher John, Hannah Kathleen (Karl Fleck), Emma Catherine, and Alexandra Roshan.
She was the proud and doting grandmother of the three sweetest grandsons on the planet: Liam Finnian, Eoin Augustine, and Fionn Sebastian (all three of them thanks to William and Muireann).
Diane was born in New Haven and spent her early school years between Connecticut and Michigan. She graduated from Wilton High School in 1981 where she particularly enjoyed drama and music, playing clarinet in the Wilton High School marching band. She entered the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and completed two years of undergraduate studies before meeting and marrying her sweetheart, Bill Stewart, in 1984. She then began her new life as the wife of an American diplomat, raising her six children as she moved around the world. All told, Diane lived in eight countries on four continents; she spoke Swedish and Arabic; and survived the Yemeni Civil War when she -- with five young kids in tow -- was evacuated home to Wilton. She soon returned to the Middle East, living in Dubai, Oman, and Egypt, with two Stateside-stints in Princeton, New Jersey and Austin, Texas, before moving to her final posting in Stockholm, Sweden in 2010. As the wife of the United States Charge d’Affaires in Stockholm, Sweden, she represented the United States to high officials, literati, politicians, and everyday Swedes with kindness, warmth, and her very own engaging and unique sense humor.
Diane was a proud “Homeschool Mom,” teaching all her kids at home, some of them from kindergarten through high school. She loved to point to the collegiate success of her kids - which included five bachelor’s and two master’s degrees – as proof of a job well done. She loved her cat, Princess (rescued from the streets of Tokyo by her son, Chris), as well as her exuberant Vizsla puppy, Zsa Zsa.
After spending almost three decades in the State Department living around the world, Diane came home to Connecticut in early 2013 to obtain the best medical care in the world. She found it at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where she received kind, compassionate, and cutting-edge care. She and her husband were particularly grateful to her oncologist, Dr. Karen Cadoo.
Most important of all, Diane was a Christian who loved her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and strove to serve Him and others in all she did. Her faith was reflected in her thoughtfulness for others; her life of service to her family and friends; and her lovely, gracious spirit.
Diane’s amazing and inspiring life will be remembered by those who knew and loved her on Sunday, April 7th, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. at the Stepney Baptist Church, 423 Main St, Monroe, CT 06468. We encourage you to make donations to either Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (www. mskcc.org); or the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (www.ocrahope.org).
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