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Diane Marcella
December 12, 1938 - April 9, 2024
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Diane Marcella passed away on April 9, 2024, after an extended illness. Diane was born on December 12, 1938 in Gaithersburg, Maryland. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Larry.
Diane graduated from Gaithersburg High School in 1956. She went on to nursing school at Washington Hospital Center School of Nursing, and she continued to work there after she graduated. She met Larry who was in residency there. He asked her out for the first time over the operating table. One thing led to another, and they were married on October 8, 1960. Diane worked as a nurse in Larry’s office briefly, until she had her first son, Steve, in 1961, followed by Jeff in 1968.
Diane was very proud of Larry’s 35-year career as an OB/GYN in New Castle. He delivered over 7300 babies during that time. She was always touched when people in the community would approach her and tell her about how Dr. Marcella had delivered them, or a relative of theirs, and how wonderful of a caregiver he had been. This was a great consolation to Diane in the years after Larry died on June 7, 2012.
Diane was also proud of her sons Steve and Jeff. Steve had a successful career in marketing and advertising before moving into social services to support individuals with autism. He has also written extensively for local and national publications and top corporate clients. Jeff currently consults with education and workforce agencies after having worked as Director of Policy for the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development in Chicago. Diane was also thrilled that her grandson, Caleb Marcella, has grown into a successful musician. Caleb was profiled on national television at the age of 14, when he was the drummer for a well-known local blues musician. Caleb will be attending the University of Miami’s music school starting in the Fall.
Diane’s family and friends have always been proud of her. While raising a family, Diane also volunteered for numerous local organizations, where she usually found herself in a leadership role. Diane was president of the local chapter of the AMA Medical Auxiliary and an officer at the state level. She continued to work with the auxiliary in the following years organizing projects and guiding newer members. In the early 1970s, Diane founded the Lawrence County Future Physicians Club to assist and encourage local high school students who were interested in the medical field. Many of the group’s former members went on to careers as doctors, nurses, or medical caregivers. Diane enjoyed gardening and was a long-time member of the Walmo Garden Club. She also loved watching the birds she fed from the bird feeder outside her living room window.
In the late 1970’s, Diane began her true life’s work as a leader of the local pro-life effort. She volunteered to work with People Concerned for the Unborn Child. Diane soon became president of the local chapter. She continued in that role for 17 years, after which she remained committed to the cause as an active member. Diane was grateful to have lived long enough to see some of hers and the organization’s goals recently achieved.
Those who knew Diane will always remember her as a dedicated servant of the community, a good Catholic, and a loving mother, relative, and friend. She will be sorely missed, but the work she did will live on as a testament to her good works and her good heart.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents Charles and Erma Demory, and her brothers Bill, Larry, Eddie, and Steve Demory.
Diane is survived by her sons, Steve and Jeff, her daughter-in-law Gail, her grandson, Caleb, and her sister, Linda Dixon.
Visitation will be on Sunday, April 14th from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Ed and Don DeCarbo Funeral Home, 941 S. Mill Street, New Castle, PA. A procession will leave the funeral home on Monday at 10:15 a.m. for a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Spirit Parish, St. Vitus Church, 910 S. Mercer St., New Castle, PA. Father Aaron Kriss will officiate. Entombment will be in Parkside Cemetery.
Eternal rest grant unto Diane, O Lord. Let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
