Obituary of Diana Joyce Webster

It is with profound sadness that the family of Diana Webster announces her death on November 12th,2018 at the Saint John Regional Hospital. Beloved mother, sister, nana, aunt, cousin, friend, and a pioneer of the ballet community in her time, she will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered. The youngest of three girls (predeceased by her older sister Pam), Diana was born on September 27, 1952 in Saint John, NB, to Joan (Logie) Taylor and Frederick Marshall Grant "Jim" Taylor (both deceased), and spent her early childhood on Princess Street in Saint John, then Greenwood, Nova Scotia and Edmonton, Alberta before the family returned to Saint John, where she attended Prince Charles School and Saint John High School in the heart of her extended family. Her lifelong passion for ballet began with lessons given by her mother Joan, who ran a ballet school in Greenwood. Ultimately, Diana moved to Ottawa to live with close Thompson relatives and finish high school while studying advanced ballet. Then she danced with a junior ballet company before returning to New Brunswick where she established a School of Dance through Extension Services at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, after which she founded her own school. She continued doing choreography after she moved to Saint John, and her passion for ballet was undiminished. Dance was her vocation, and also her spirit. Diana is survived by her children Eve Webster (Terence Bay, NS), Ellen Webster (Hampton, NB), and Eric Webster (Wickham, NB); five loving grandchildren, Jacob and Isla; Kayla and Sophie; and Madelyn; her sister Gail Taylor (Ottawa) and nieces Portia Taylor (Ottawa) and Amy Munnikhuis (Calgary); special beloved cousins, and relatives in New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and Winnipeg; and long loyal friendships, notably with Connie Barnwell (Fredericton). While her health permitted, she was an activist for MS, advocating for measures of community inclusion for people with disabilities, from better curbing to subsidy of medications. Throughout her life, her fervent love of music – classical, and also the lyrics and melodies of folk, rock, and rhythm and blues – saw her through. Her sense of humour was acute, and she loved to laugh. Diana was a true free spirit and her legacy will be independence, strength, and a capacity for unconditional love. Friends and relatives are invited to attend a service of remembrance and celebration on Saturday, November 17, 2018 from 2-4 pm at Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John, NB (634-7424). Beginning at 3:30 pm, the family wishes to give guests an opportunity to speak, and to share their memories and stories about Diana. Interment will precede the service that morning at 11:00 am at Fernhill Cemetery. For those who wish, donations can be made to the MS Society. Online Condolences may be placed at www.BrenansFH.com Be now forever taken from my sight, Though nothing can bring back the hour Of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower; We will grieve not, rather find Strength in what remains behind– William Wordsworth