Obituary of Dianne Fay Dickinson

Dianne Fay Dickinson, age 64 of West Trenton, NJ, passed away on October 13, 2017. She was a dedicated wife, mother and grandmother to her husband of 36 years, John F. Dickinson, Jr., her four children, Dayna Fay Pawelak (Benjamin), John Barry Dickinson (Laura), Andrew Walsh Dickinson, Colin Joseph Dickinson, and her grandson, Finn Joshua Pawelak. She was the daughter of Captain Richard C. Fay, US Navy Retired (deceased) and Mrs. Mary Dunn Fay. She is survived by one brother, R. Christopher Fay (Bonnie) and four sisters Mary Elizabeth “BB” LaMartina (Ronald), Nancy Gant (Bill), Marilynne “Lynne) Dickinson (Paul), and Shannon Harris (Arthur). In addition, she is survived by her brothers and sisters in law, Thomas and Marie Dickinson, Joanne and Stephen Westcott, and Paul and Lynne Dickinson as well as 20 nieces and nephews. Dianne was born in Philadelphia and raised principally in Bethesda, MD, though she travelled extensively as the family followed her father’s naval career. Dianne graduated from Loyola College in Baltimore, MD (now Loyola University) with a B.S. in Biology (1976). She earned her Masters in Administrative Science at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD (1979). She began her career in the sciences working at Microbiological Associates in Bethesda, MD. She was also employed as a research assistant at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD and a Quality Assurance Supervisor at Pitman-Moore in Titusville, NJ. Dianne later focused her energies on raising her four children until she reentered the workforce in 2001 with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection where she served as an Investigator and Community Relations Specialist. Dianne retired from the DEP in August 2017. While at the DEP, Dianne she received an award for her presentation entitled “Choices Make Change.” She was a talented seamstress and, for a time, operated a business called “My Dianne” where she designed and created beautiful, smocked children’s clothing. She was active in her local church, The Church of St. Ann in Lawrenceville, NJ where she functioned as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and taught CCD. She was a devoted servant of God and her faith guided her through her long battle with metastatic breast cancer. She took an avid interest in gardening and was a member and past President of the West Trenton Garden Club. Dianne was a phenomenal baker/cook and frequently delighted family and friends with her delicious culinary treats. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a viewing from 5pm to 8pm on Monday, October 16, 2017 and from 10am to 11am on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 at The Church of St. Ann, 1253 Lawrence Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at The Church of St. Ann, on October 17, 2017 at 11am. Interment will follow at St. John Neumann Cemetery, 3797 County Line Road, Chalfont, PA 18914. Contributions can be made to the “West Trenton Garden Club Incorporated”, c/o Camille Rainiero, 7 Sheffield Road, Trenton, NJ 08619.