Diane Holbert Johnson Weil

Diane Holbert Johnson Weil passed away in Monroeville, PA on July 26, 2020 at the age of 91. Diane was born on January 17, 1929 in Altoona, KS, just before the stock market crash, and grew up as the only daughter in a family of five children. Surviving the Great Depression was trivial compared to withstanding four energetic brothers. The valedictorian of her high school in McPherson, KS, Diane was also a talented violinist, and went on to earn a degree in Chemistry from Kansas University. After graduation she moved to Bartlesville, OK, to work for Phillips Petroleum in their research and development lab, and where she met the love of her life, Harry Weil - a young metallurgist from Bethlehem, PA. They married in 1953 and spent the next 67 years as an inseparable couple, routinely cancelling out each other’s presidential election votes. After many relocations (and the birth of two daughters) over their first decades together, they settled in Pittsburgh in the early 70s, at which point Diane was able to fully embrace her love of and talent for gardening -- inherited from her irisarian mother, Martha. Little remained of the lawn at the family home in Allison Park, as she planted beds of iris, daylilies, and a myriad of other beautiful and exotic flowers - all meticulously documented in her gardening journals. A devoted member of the Greybrooke Garden Club, she held a variety of offices over the years, including President, Vice President, and Treasurer; endlessly toiled at the garden walls at the entrance to the neighborhood and the Passavant Hospital memorial gardens; hosted fundraisers; and participated in (and occasionally won ribbons in) the annual competitive flower show. In 1998, she was named Pennsylvania Gardener of the Year. When indoors, she was rarely without some piece of handiwork on her lap - from cross-stitch to hooked rugs, to quilting, to knitting, and finally, her go-to - crocheting. Over the years, she made literally hundreds of lap blankets for the elderly and infirm, and made prized wedding, baby, and graduation blankets for anyone who requested them. Her yarn budget rivaled the GDP of Iceland. She was an avid crossword puzzler - promptly completing the Sunday AND Saturday (even harder!) New York Times puzzle with nary a dictionary in sight. In ink. She loved watching or listening to baseball - sometimes late into the night for those West Coast games - and suffered mightily with her beloved Pittsburgh Pirates in the lean years. She was the lunch companion and consoler-in-chief for many - friends and family alike - and, most importantly (along with her husband Harry) the primary caregiver for her adult daughter Nancy well into her 80s, and continued to nurture that lifelong maternal bond even as her mind and body failed her. Diane laughed heartily (including at herself), comforted others generously, carried herself with grace and dignity in every situation, and above all, always chose kindness. She is survived by her loving husband Harry, daughters Nancy and Valerie (John Ulrich), grandson Keller Ulrich, along with her big brother Richard, sisters-in-law Violet, Connie, and Connie Wertz, and many nephews and nieces, all of whom miss her generosity, laughter, and light greatly. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, no services will be held at this time. Arrangements entrusted to Jobe Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc., 445 Beatty Rd., Monroeville, PA 15146, 412-856-4747. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Diane’s name may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America or the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. www.jobefuneralhome.com.

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