Dianne C. Foster

 

Dianne CLAIRE Foster

OBITUARY from the Boston Globe, July 9, 2017:

  1. Dianne Claire Foster, 67, of Newton died of uterine cancer on July 4, 2017, at home with her family. She was born on June 15, 1950 in Bethesda, Maryland, to John Benedict Foster, Jr. and Mary Margaret (Ring) Foster. She was the devoted eldest of nine children.

  2. When she was a small child, the family moved to Nevada and eventually settled in Southern California, where she attended public schools, save for a fondly remembered year at Cornelia Connelly School, graduating from Anaheim High School. She received her bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Boston University and her Juris Doctor from New England School of Law. A member of the Massachusetts Bar since 1982, she practiced family law. She served as a member and then chair of the Newton Highlands Neighborhood Area Council, helping to organize many community events.

  3. She married Peter Szolovits in 1979 in Los Angeles, California and was the proud and nurturing mother of their children Elizabeth (Lisa) and Daniel Szolovits, born in 1984 and 1986. A passionate bibliophile and lover of language, Dianne read extensively and wrote short stories, historical fiction, and political commentary. Her pursuit of knowledge and beauty led her to travel often, to fill her garden with fruit and flowers, and to trace her family tree—all with a sense of exacting curiosity.

  4. She is survived by her husband and children, her mother, and her siblings—Deborah, Gary, Christopher, Barbara, Carolyn, Robert, and Andrew Foster—and their families.

  5. A funeral mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church in Newton Centre on July 19 at 10:30am, followed by interment of her ashes at Newton Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Planned Parenthood.

Dianne died just after midnight on July 4, 2017, after a year and a half battle with uterine cancer.  Our children and two of her sisters were with us during her final weeks, and a brother, niece and nephew visited, so she felt well loved and cared for.

To allow the Foster clan to gather, mostly from the west coast, her funeral mass was held on July 19, at Sacred Heart Church in Newton Centre. She had been cremated and her ashes were interred at Newton Cemetery after the mass.

I reproduce the program of the funeral mass, including the readings by our children, prayers from members of the Foster family, and my eulogy for Dianne. We created funeral cards in her honor, which feature a prayer by Thomas Merton.  Afterwards, we had a family gathering for lunch followed by a large reception at home for our family, friends and neighbors.  For those interested in a brief synopsis of her final medical journey, I describe it here.

Her grave site overlooks a beautiful pond at Newton Cemetery.