Obituary of DINGWALL – Diane Ellen

April 5, 1944 – November 12, 2010 It is with incredible sadness that the family of Diane Dingwall announce her passing. As a wife, mother, sister, nana, aunt, and friend, she was a special lady and will be deeply missed. Diane was born at the Calgary General Hospital to parents Anne and Jim Gilliham; just four minutes after her twin sister Gail. She and Gail were welcomed into the family by brother Jim and sister Carol Ann. She and her sisters attended The University Demonstration School (UDS) which is presently the old three-story brick building on the SAIT Campus for their early elementary years. Following that, Diane and Gail continued on at Briar Hill Elementary, Queen Elizabeth, Branton Jr. High and finally William Aberhart. The ‘Gilliham Girls’ monopolized all the babysitting jobs in Houndsfield Heights and Briar Hill during their junior high and high school years. Also during those years Diane, along with Gail and Carol Ann, worked for Greyhound Bus Lines. You would get one of the ‘Gilliham Girls’ when calling regarding all bus schedules whether venturing north, south, east or west in Canada or the USA. Diane became a legal secretary working for twenty years at the firms of Howard, Bessemer; then Walsh, Tharp and retiring from Webb, Lerner, Kutz, Ross and Dyck. It was during these years Diane married the love of her life, Gordon, and two years later they welcomed into their family their son Tim Gordon. On Tim’s 3rd birthday he received a very special parcel… a baby sister, Cheryl Diane. Diane and Gord, along with Gail, Doug, Bonnie and Lorne enjoyed many, many years camping in the Bow Crow Forest Reserve with Tim, Cheryl, Todd, Terry, Scott and Greg. What great years those were and what fun she had! Diane and Gordon enjoyed many travels together which included multiple trips to Hawaii, Las Vegas, BC to fish and they especially enjoyed their trip to the Dominican Republic for their granddaughter’s wedding. In 1985 Diane and Gordon were invited to buy into a quarter of land with some of the nicest folks ever; and since then spent six months of every year at the most beautiful spot on earth, with their farm family. Anybody who met Diane knew of her great passion for music and all animals. Her happiest days included her pet poodles, Kizzy and Bunny and more recently her cockatiels, Lovee and Peppe. Diane was predeceased by father Jim Gilliham (1965); brother Jim Jr. Gilliham (1979); mother Anne Gilliham (1981); father-in-law Arthur Dingwall (1985); mother-in-law Wilma Dingwall (1986); son Tim Dingwall (2002); sister Carol Ann Greenlaw (2008); sister-in-law Josephine Gilliham (2010); and and brother-in-law John Jameson (2010). Diane is survived by husband of forty-eight years Gordon; daughter Cheryl (Greg) Settle; precious grandchildren, Rosalyn (Philip) Harms, Carla (Mick) Scow, Patrick and Alexandra Settle; and twin sister Gail (Doug) Barraclough of Edmonton. She is also survived by sister-in-law Evelyn Jameson; brother-in-law Ron (Fay) Dingwall; brother-in-law Gary (Connie) Dingwall; and nieces and nephews, Ron, Randy, Shelley-Anne, Todd, Terry, Kevin, Holly, Leslie-Lynne, Grant, Carri, Troy, Kim, Darren, Jason, Jamie, Chad, and Mike and all of their families. Additionally, she will be missed by many wonderful cousins and their families. Thanks go to the compassionate staff at the Tom Baker Centre with special mention to Dr. Scot Dowden and RN Robyn on Unit 57. Funeral Services will be held at McINNIS & HOLLOWAY’S, Chapel of the Bells (2720 Centre Street North) on Saturday, November 20, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. Condolences may be forwarded through www.mcinnisandholloway.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial tributes in Diane’s honour may be made directly to The Calgary Humane Society, 4455 – 110th Avenue S.E., Calgary, AB T2C 2T7, Telephone: (403)205-4455, www.calgaryhumane.ca. In living memory of Diane Dingwall, a tree will be planted at Big Hill Springs Park, Cochrane by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Chapel of the Bells, 2720 CENTRE STREET NORTH Telephone: (403) 276-2296.