DIANE LYNETTE LONGLEY

A reproduced story from the 23Apr2008 issue of the Globe and Mail about our beloved mother, daughter, sister, auntie, teacher and friend. Read below or view the following link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080423.LIVES23/EmailTPStory/

Facts & Arguments: LIVES LIVED

DIANE LYNETTE LONGLEY
Matriarch, wife, mother, sister, aunt, friend, caregiver, music teacher, school concert organizer. Born Sept. 28, 1944, in Trinidad and Tobago. Died Feb. 23 in Toronto of brain cancer, aged 63.
RAWLE KASSIE AND BARB BROADBENT

submissions:lives@globeandmail.com

April 23, 2008

All her life, Diane gave. It was a duty thrust upon her at an early age, but one she chose later in life.

Born Diane Kassie, her mother died when she was 8, leaving her father with six children, including a newborn just two hours old. Diane, the first-born, helped raise her siblings.

She took piano lessons and, with her musical skills, became the pianist at her church while still in her teens.

In 1968, Diane immigrated to Toronto. She worked and took night courses, eventually graduating from the University of Toronto. In 1972, she began her teaching career - primarily in music - with the Toronto Board of Education.

Diane met Doug Longley in Toronto. They married in 1978 and raised two children, Catherine and Kelly.

Diane was a sociable person with a wonderful laugh and a sense of humour that shone through any situation. After she was diagnosed with cancer, as she arranged for her burial, she said, "Well, I just bought myself some new property!"

She was a dedicated teacher and had a keen interest in the world around her. Never one to mince words, she expressed her thoughts with passion, colour and wisdom. Her words were not always soft, but her heart was.

Music brought joy and peace to Diane's life. It was a love she shared through teaching - students would return from her classes humming tunes, and concert audiences would often be moved to tears.

Her empathy was extraordinary. You could count on her when times got tough. As a mother and aunt, she taught the younger generation many life lessons. She believed in cultivating strong relationships with family and friends, encouraged finding one's potential through education and urged choosing a career that fed one's passion.

Diane taught the difference between a house and a warm and loving home, frequently welcoming visitors to a home-cooked meal.

At Toronto Grace Hospital, where she lived her final days, she charmed staff and visitors, celebrated birthdays and gathered her children, nieces, nephews and friends to tell them witty life stories, evoking howls of laughter - so alien in a palliative setting.

Her niece, Roshini, a trombonist, captured Diane's aura at her farewell: "You will always be the music in my life, Auntie Diane, and I will always play for you. I will always remember your wonderful stories and smile - always with music in my heart."

Rawle Kassie is Diane's brother, and Barb Broadbent is her colleague and friend.