Honeoye: Dianna Lynn Shumaker (née Snow), of Honeoye, NY, originally of Clarion, PA, passed away unexpectedly but peacefully on January 23, 2021.
Dianna was a source of strength, light and love to all who knew her. Out of a childhood marked by struggle she transformed her experience into a life of deep compassion, limitless generosity, steadfast faith – and quick-witted humor. In addition to being a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and friend, she was a gifted artist, an avid gardener, a successful entrepreneur, a star bowler, a talented craftsman and antique restorer, an expert cook and baker, a rescuer of abandoned animals, and much more.
What mattered most to Dianna were family and home. In the Shumaker household, Christmases were filled with carols, her famous homemade cookies, family games, and a tree piled high with presents for the family. Halloweens were always celebrated in costume and in a fully decorated home for friends who might stop by. Thanksgivings and Easters were times for gratitude and celebration, and July Fourths hosted fireworks displays in the backyard. Not just on holidays but year-round, the kitchen was always open, and she was not content until everyone was well fed.
Despite her early struggles, or perhaps because of them, Dianna lived abundantly, and sought to impart her life lessons and values onto her children and grandchildren: those of hard work, determination, optimism, love of the outdoors, love – and humor. Her laughter was infectious, and she never took life, or herself, too seriously. She had a unique ability to light up a room and transform the simplest moments into lasting memories. Her warmth and openness drew many close to her, and she became a surrogate mother to many young people as well as the numerous animals she rescued over the years.
In her later years, Dianna became acutely aware of the finiteness of this life and did not fear what was to come in the next. She passed on with contentment over a life well lived and with trust in a loving Creator. Although her departure creates a void in the hearts of those she leaves behind, she will live on in the spirits and memories of her children, grandchildren and husband as well as the countless people whose lives she touched.
Dianna was born on September 11, 1946, to Retha Donna Stewart Winters (née Shick) and David Snow. When her mother remarried, Dianna came to view Retha’s husband Donald Winters as her father. She attended Clarion Area High School, during which time she met her future husband Terrence. The young couple married in 1965 and briefly lived in Vienna, VA, before resettling in Chili, NY, then Honeoye, NY, where they restored the 1840s farmhouse on Pinewood Hill Road in which she lived until her passing. After raising her children, she worked as a photo retouching technician and manager at Varden Studios in Rochester, NY, and ultimately left the company to grow her own successful photo retouching business in the 1990s. Later, she took turns as a pharmacist assistant, a chocolate pretzel factory manager, and a realtor – all while keeping her family together and making her house a home – before retiring a few years ago.
Surviving Dianna are her husband, Terrence Shumaker, and her three children: Donna Lynn Rosicka (Thomas Rosicka), Terry Shumaker (Che’rie Morehouse Shumaker), and Jeffrey Shumaker (Robert McCouch). Also surviving her are her three grandchildren – Jessica Ainslie, Taylor Worner and Zachary Shumaker – as well as her extended family. She is preceded by her mother and father as well as her brother, Dennis P Stewart.
Visiting hours with her family will be held on Friday, January 29, 2021 from 12:00-3:00pm at the Kevin W. Dougherty Funeral Home, 8624 Main Street in Honeoye, NY 14471, with a memorial service to follow at 3:00pm. Owing to COVID 19 restrictions, capacity will be limited to 70 persons. Burial will take place at Deanville Cemetery in Deanville, PA, on Saturday, January 30, 2021 at 11AM.
For full obituary and online condolences, please visit www.doughertyfuneralhomes.com; her family asks that fond memories of and with Dianna be shared on this website and that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Begin Again Horse Rescue, 2828 Plank Road, Lima, NY 14485.