Diane Marie Mader, 61, died Saturday June 30th, in her husband's arms at Lifecare Hospital of Mechanicsburg after a year-long, hard fought battle with Primary CNS Lymphoma. She was born on November 12, 1956 in Utica, NY to parents Edna and Donald Murphy. After moving to PA with her family, Diane graduated from Cedar Cliff High School in 1974. She attended York College and then began working at Highmark Blue Shield shortly after, where she would work for over 40 years. While out with friends, she met the love of her life, Craig, whom she married on June 25th, 1983. Their marriage was a love story that spanned 35 years of laughter and rock concerts. As Diane quipped, after she had "decided she liked Craig enough to have children with him," they had two daughters, Kelly, 31, and Kerry, 27.
Diane was an extraordinary woman. She set the standard for a strong female role model for her two daughters. She taught them to pay less attention to status and looks and focus instead on substance and character. From an early age she shunned societal conventions and gender roles, and later partnered with her husband to equitably run the household. She was her own person and consistently demonstrated the importance of standards and self-worth. She was good and kind in a world with a shortage of both.
She had a passion for music that was unparalleled, and loved Halloween and watching thunderstorms from her back porch. She had a wickedly wry sense of humor that was often self-deprecating. There wasn't a room she couldn't brighten just by being in it, and she always set a strong example for how to treat others with warmth and respect.
Above all, she had a fierce love for her family to whom she brought immeasurable joy and love. She is survived by her husband, Craig; two daughters: Kelly, her husband Blake, and Kerry; her sister, Donne; her nephew, JD; and many loving cousins from upstate NY.
Family, friends, and those whose lives she touched are invited to attend Myers-Harner Funeral Home in Camp Hill on Saturday, July 14th for visitation from 12-2pm with a service immediately following. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Primary CNS Lymphoma is a devastating disease, and it's only through funding of research that new treatments can be found. The family would like to express thanks to her team at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, especially the wonderful staff in the NCCU, the persistent efforts of her therapists at Penn State Hershey Rehab, and finally the staff at Lifecare Hospital of Mechanicsburg, who allowed her to pass with dignity.
Diane represented the best of us, and she will be missed every day. ¬