Diana W. Oliveira

Daughter of James E. Woodward and Helen W. Woodward, Diana was predeceased by her parents and sister, Helen Woodward Berg. Diana was born and raised in Greenfield, MA which she always said was a wonderful place to live. She graduated from Greenfield High School in 1954 and went on to attend nursing school at Hartford Hospital. Diana graduated as a registered nurse in 1957. She married her husband of sixty-two years, Gilbert E. Oliveira in September of 1960 and they settled in Lebanon CT. In 1961 they welcomed their son Richard G. Oliveira and then their daughter Emily Oliveira O’Reilly in 1966. The family moved to East Hartford, CT where they lived until their retirement to Brewster, MA in 1995.

While living in Hartford, Diana then went on to earn her Bachelor’s of Nursing from the University of Connecticut while working full-time and raising her family. She had a varied nursing career working at the Veteran’s Affairs Hospital in Boston, as a nurse for various doctor’s offices as well as the Visiting Nurses Association. Diana went on to be a Charge Nurse at several convalescent homes and then finished her career as the director of rehabilitation at two nursing homes. Diana was always a dedicated caregiver who prioritized family and patient care above everything else. She would even bring patients who were without family to her own home for holidays.

She and Gilbert enjoyed many adventures with their family and lifelong friends. They traveled across the United States twice in their travel van and saw many beautiful sights. They took several cruises throughout the Caribbean, South America and the Panama Canal. Their trips to Europe included Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland. They took many trips to Portugal enjoying the country and spending time with Gilbert’s family. They got to see the family grow and enjoyed weddings and other family events. They welcomed their son-in-law John O’Reilly and daughter-in-law Ewa Oliveira to the family in 1991 and 1996 respectively.

She was a long-time parishioner of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Orleans where she was a member of the First Fruits group who raised funds to support local charities through the sale of baked goods and other homemade gifts. She was well-known for her delicious pies, breads and beautiful Christmas cookie plates.

Her pride and joy in her life were her five grandchildren: Marjorie O’Reilly, James O’Reilly, Mary O’Reilly, Krystine Oliveira and Richard Oliveira. She shared her love of music with all of her grandchildren and enjoyed going to all of their school concerts and volunteering at their school. She loved taking the kids for picnics, on “mystery trips”, ice skating, and teaching them how to bake. She loved to research potential colleges for kids and looked forward to visiting them on campus. Her grandchildren look back on their fond memories of special dinners and sleepovers at Grandma’s house.

The family would like to recognize the exceptional care she received from Dr. James Koomey and his staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Plymouth. They treated her with such respect, compassion and professionalism. They were able to give her family an extra four years to spend with her. The Cape Cod VNA Hospice was such a source of support and care to the entire family. Their dedication to end of life care was phenomenal and we are eternally grateful for the entire team. Diana lived a full life filled with adventure, adoring friends and family and everyone will dearly miss her.

Visitation will be held at the Nickerson Funeral Home 77 Eldredge Park Way, Orleans MA on May 26 from 10am - 11am. A funeral service will follow from 11am-11:45am followed by burial in Orleans Cemetery.