Diane S. Jastremsky

Lillie Diane Stanford Jastremsky (80), known as Diane, passed peacefully on Wednesday September 7, 2022 in Ogden, Utah. She was surrounded by her five daughters, enveloped in the love that she herself had embodied and reflected throughout her life.

Diane was born in Logan, Utah on December 9, 1941 to Joseph Sedley Stanford and Ida Pearl Ivie Stanford. Her father was a professor of zoology and she fondly recalled taking nature field trips as well as raising unusual wild animal “pets” rescued by his students, including a baby skunk, owl, bat, and a bob “kitty”. Both sides of her family came from Latter-day Saint pioneers and were early settlers of Utah and Idaho. She valued hard work and thriftiness and spent many days of her youth helping with the family's large vegetable garden.

Diane was the youngest of nine children and became deaf in her early childhood from an unknown cause. As a child she was observant, curious and known for her very blonde, almost white curly hair. At age six, she went to boarding school in Ogden at the Utah School for the Deaf where she learned American Sign Language and had formal speech training. Diane returned to Logan at the age of nine for the remainder of her education in public schools, graduating in 1961 from Logan High School. Unable to hear the teachers and without an interpreter, she used her intelligence combined with her imagination and resourcefulness to learn and adapt. She was creative throughout her life and flourished in the visual arts. She took multiple art courses at Utah State University and her family cherishes her amazing creations ranging from hand-carved wood block prints, metal and textile arts, drawings and paintings. Her art continued with photography, capturing family moments and nature's beauty. Diane had a discerning eye for the unique, beautiful and artistic.

After high school graduation, Diane returned for an extra senior year at The Utah School for the Deaf where she met her future sweetheart Walter Jastremsky, Jr. Diane and Walter, who was also deaf, were married and sealed on April 14, 1966 in the Logan LDS Temple. They moved to Boise, Idaho and raised their five daughters in an east end home, making memories and living there throughout their 47 years of marriage.

Diane was a devoted mother, and along with Walter taught her hearing daughters sign language in their bilingual home. Education, arts and reading were very important to Diane. She often read to her children, took them to the art museum and library frequently, and could be seen with a large stack of books that would all be read before being returned. She loved word games and playing Scrabble daily online with family became a favorite pastime. Diane served in various callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, volunteered at a local elementary school with deaf students, and supported her husband and his activism in the Deaf community.

Diane and Walter had a deep and abiding love for one another and for their Savior that carried them through life. Her desire for all children to feel loved and special was very important to her. She was loved by many and had a playful sense of humor. Diane will always be remembered for her compassionate acceptance of each person she met and her kind, caring heart. Patient and loving to the end, her final message signed to her family was: “Love One Another.”

Diane is survived by her children: Harriett Jastremsky, Magnolia Fink (Marc), Nedda Greer (Jim), Maureen Jastremsky (Eric Jonsson) and Anna Glazier (Sean); grandchildren, Sophie Fink, Isaac Fink, Simon Richardson, Calvin Glazier, Mira Glazier, Ezra Glazier and Ivie Glazier; sister Marie (Wayne) Williams, sister-in-law Linda Stanford, son-in-law Michael Richardson, beloved nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her husband Walter E. Jastremsky, Jr., parents, brothers Stephen, Theodore, Melvin and Glen Stanford, and sisters Vesta Stanford, Katherine Staples, and Elaine Brockbank.

We would like to thank all of her caregivers for their heartfelt kindness and support in Ogden and Boise; including Bristol Hospice, The Terrace at Mt Ogden, Auberge, Quail Meadow, Tenderheart Home Health and Trinity Home Care.

The family will greet friends at the Relyea Funeral Chapel on Thursday, September 15th, from 6:00-8:00pm with ASL interpreters. Private family graveside services will be held at Dry Creek Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Diane's memory to the American Society for Deaf Children http://deafchildren.org/donate/.