- Date Of Birth: May 22, 1939
- Date Of Death: October 11, 2022
- State: Colorado
Diane Grace Jago died peacefully at home on Tuesday, 11 October 2022, at about 9:30 PM.
Born Diane Grace Funke on 22 May 1939, in Chicago, Illinois, she was a talented singer and dancer performing at the Chicago Civic Center when she was 5, appearing in every Gilbert and Sullivan light operatic production in high school, and receiving a full four year scholarship to study opera at Northern Illinois University in preparation for singing with the New York Metropolitan Opera.
It was while at university that she met the love of her life, Edwin F. Jago, Jr., whom she married in 1958, throwing over a career in opera for a life of true love and adventure.
A horsewoman from her youth, when Ed became a private pilot, Diane took flying lessons as well, becoming a certified pilot herself. When Ed retired and was determined to move to a remote mountain top in the Wet Mountains of Colorado, she pluckily went along, although she insisted they have an actual floor she could sweep – no dirt floors for her! She could make a gracious home wherever she went. She learned to shoot, to walk on snowshoes, and to drive a snowmobile. She was courageous. She was indomitable.
Diane was a trailblazer in many ways. Seeing so many young children in need of joyful and personally attentive education, she started a preschool in 1972, when the idea of preschool had barely entered the public consciousness. Her approach to education was so innovative she was asked to lead discussion groups in best educational practices at a local community college. She started a cultural arts program for the farming community in which she lived, bringing musical and dramatic performances to the community, and encouraging everyone’s interest in the wider world of the fine arts.
Diane was truly nurturing. She was always by Ed’s side, caring for him and encouraging him as he finished his college education, became a Vice President of a major corporation, bought his father’s business, and made it a huge success, and nursed him tirelessly through his struggle with emphysema. She encouraged her children in their interests without overwhelming them. She baked bread and had homemade cookies or brownies or pie for them when they came home from school each day. They were deeply loved and knew it. She was an empathetic and willing listener to whom many people opened their hearts. After talking with Diane, people felt valued and uplifted.
Diane was kind and generous. When her children, who had to help weed the ¾ of an acre garden she planted year after year, wearily asked why she planted so much, her reply was, “A third for the wildlife who will eat it anyway, a third for our neighbors, and a third for us.” The ultimate hostess, she believed in “abondanza”, abundance in food and good cheer. Diane shared this abundance of good cheer with others by singing with shut-ins and the elderly in nursing homes, free of charge.
Diane Jago was a loving mother, a devoted wife, a talented and adventuresome woman, a good friend, and a nurturing help to many people. She was strong, kind, encouraging, and much loved. She will be sadly missed.
