I have not seen Dianna for a number of years. I was deeply saddened to learn of her passing. I can truly say that Dianna was one of the finest persons that I have ever known in my entire life of nearly 86 years. I have added her name into my daily prayers along with that of Raphael who has been in them ever since his passing. I have always been greatly impressed with Dianna’s exceptional strength, intelligence, friendliness, warmth, and unsurpassed kindness that she has always shown to all others. I know that she is deeply missed by all who know and who will always love her. My deepest condolences go to her beloved family members. With God’s love, we all WILL be together again.

I never got to know my big sister my heart will always hurt and my tears will never stop until I'm with her in heaven

I remember being meeting your mom when we were at FCHS over the summer. She was an awesome woman , always friendly and great with conversation.  I was very lucky to know her. You and your family are in my prayers for she will be missed. 

Within a few days, the reality of my mother’s 81st Birthday will arrive. Her passing continues to be painfully surreal. Part of me feels as though half of my identity died when my mother exhaled her last breath. I miss all the senses I knew of my mother by heart.

I miss seeing her sweet smile and caring blue eyes, and how both effortlessly warmed my heart and made me smile in return. She and I shared an amazing and profound, symbiotic connection. It was a bond that organically evolved closer over a span of 14 years, as I stepped into the role as her caregiver.

Our bond was above and beyond the relationship of a mother and daughter. We shared an extraordinary connectedness, which proved to be our love language for each other,  that we unknowingly taught and learned from each other over an accumulative lifetime of experiences. It’s hard to fathom that there’ll ever be a day where I’m NOT missing her presence in my life.

I miss the way my mother’s left hand felt holding mine. She had a gentle way of grasping my right hand with our fingers intertwined like loops of woven fabric on a loom. Her precious grip always brought me comfort and felt reminiscent, as if she was getting ready to launch into a childhood rhyming ditty, using our hands and fingers to say, “Here is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the doors and see all the people!”

After suffering from frequent falls, my mother began holding my hand more regularly. On numerous occasions, she would grasp my hand while seated in a waiting room, during her oncology infusion treatment, resting in her bedroom or living room watching TV or while seated in rush hour traffic waiting for the light to change. My fondest memories will continue to be the way she used to reach out to hold my hand, when I routinely watched over her and waited for her to soundly fall asleep for the night.

There is comfort in knowing that my mother is now eternally pain-free in the presence of our Heavenly Father. 

Dianna is my older sister.  I remember as a child that she was always the smartest sibling.  She was studious and did very well in school.  She was the first child in our family to go to college.  I looked up to her because I thought she was courageous.  She was sufficiently confident to leave home (Evansville, IN) and venture to Washington D.C. for school.  She found the love of her life and got married.  She had two beautiful daughters.  She and Raphael traveled internationally, living in Thailand and Taiwan and then settling back in Northern VA.  She was an incredibly wonderful cook.  Our Dad was very conservative and would never eat even Italian food.  Dianna made chicken fried rice and egg foo yung which he loved because she made it and he was so proud of her.  We went to Hawaii on vacation with our other sister, Tammy, and we got to see Pearl Harbor and Maui.  She also introduced me to Cape Hatteras with her girls.  She was a very loving, compassionate person always thinking of others.  I miss talking with her on weekends sharing what had happened during the week.  She had a strong faith so I know I will see her again someday.  I am glad that she is not in pain any longer struggling to breathe.  She is at peace.

I recall an outing to New York City in August 2002 to celebrate Dianna’s birthday. Attending the event were Dianna, Michele, Nicole, Jake, Sandy, and myself. We took the train from Hamilton  Station, NJ to the city. We attended a matinee performance of “Mama Mia”. It was a wonderful show, and I recall that we enjoyed the music very much. During the walk to dinner, Dianna, Sandy, and I stopped in front of lovely mural, and one of the girls took our photo.  I still have a framed copy of that photo atop a bookcase in my living room, as it is such a nice depiction of the “three sisters”. We had dinner at the Churrascaria Plataforma, where we enjoyed a huge salad bar, many courses of BBQ’d meats, and wonderful desserts. We could hardly move after such indulgence, as we made our way back to the train station. This is such a happy memory for me of a great family outing / birthday celebration.

Mom, you were the strongest-willed woman I’ve ever known.  You were my shining example of strength and compassion, of honor and of love. I was grateful to call you “Mom”.  You blessed my life profoundly, for you weren’t only my Mother, you were my friend. My Mother had great strength and she was wise… I always knew I could draw from her strength whenever I needed it. It gave me courage to grow up and take chances, to experience life’s successes and a few of its failures. My mom’s compassion for others was so deep! She treated others with kindness and respect, and many lives were touched through her goodness. My mom was also an honorable woman. This wasn’t just a mere aspect of her personality, it was the very foundation of her character. Mom, although, I feel the world will never be as bright and beautiful as it was when you were here, I‘m comforted knowing you are free from all the pain you’ve endured over the course of your life. My Mom’s love was unconditional and the sweetest and most enduring part of her love is that it will always be with me. It was my Mother’s most important…and final gift to me.  Mom, you will be greatly missed. Remember what I whispered in your ear, this is not goodbye, it’s I’ll see you soon.  

Victory Christian Fellowship

OBITUARY

Dianna Brown Iungerich

August 3, 1939 – March 5, 2020

Whitten Timberlake Chapel

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