Joanne Diehl Tarler

JOANNE PATRICIA DIEHL TARLER (Patty to all) died Saturday, May 9, 2020 at home following a brief illness, and surrounded by those who loved her. She was born July 18, 1929 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the daughter of Joseph Urich Diehl and Helen Miller Diehl. She is predeceased not only by her parents, but by her loving husband of 61 years, Craig Cornell Tarler. She is survived by her children: Sally Tarler Learned, Pamela Tarler Hayes, and Christopher Craig Tarler, all of Southport, NC; granddaughters Caroline Poteat Gandy of Boone, NC, and Jennifer Leigh Poteat (Jordan Ellis), of San Antonio, Texas; and a large extended circle of family and friends.

Patty graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1951 with a degree in sociology. She followed Craig to an Army posting in northern Japan for two years. Upon their return, they settled in Doylestown, Pennsylvania for many years where Patty served the community through nonprofit volunteer efforts and lay leadership at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church. When the grandchildren came along, they relocated to Morganton, North Carolina to be closer. Patty was never so happy, working side by side with Craig, to create Cornell & Diehl, Inc., which became one of the premier manufacturers and distributors of hand-blended pipe tobacco in the world. She made friends from all over the world through the business and was universally loved. She relocated to Southport NC in 2015 and quickly became a beloved member of the community of St. Philip’s Episcopal Church.

There was never a time when Patty wasn’t involved in the world around her. If you knew her for five minutes, she knew your life story. Her beautiful smile and infectious laugh could light up a room. Her great love was politics, and when asked why she never pursued a political career herself, she said “my skin isn’t thick enough!” Patty stayed engaged with her family and the world up until the end. A friend said it best: “One thing I’m sure of, is that her advice to God will be as good as it was for me.”

The family wishes to express their heartfelt thanks to Patty’s friend and caregiver, Carol Florkiewitz, for her loving and tender care; Dr. Minor and his wonderful staff; the doctors and nurses of Dosher Hospital, and the nurses and aides of Lower Cape Fear LifeCare. There will be a memorial service at St. Philip’s at such time as restrictions are lifted, and her ashes will be interred with Craig’s in the Memorial Garden there. In lieu of flowers, the Tarler family requests that friends and family complete an act of kindness or donate to a favorite charity in honor and memory of Patty’s loving and generous spirit.

Condolences may be made at www.peacocknewnamwhite.com.

Peacock, Newman & White Funeral and Cremation Service 1411 N. Howe St. Southport, NC 28461