Diane Simon

It is with heavy hearts that the Simon family would like to announce the passing of Diane Elizabeth Simon (nee Forbes) at the age of 63.

Diane was the cherished wife, partner and best friend of Peter Simon to whom she was married for 44 wonderful years.

She was also a devoted mother of Jeremy and Allison and Jennifer and Justin who sacrificed much of her life so her kids could be happy, grow as individuals, and realize their dreams. For Jennifer in particular, she was a partner in crime and so much more than just a mom.

She was the greatest Oma in the World to her grandchildren Lukas and Gabriel who were such a source of love and pride for her.

She was a loving sister to Gary and Annette.

She was an aunt, confidante and friend to so many others. She cherished and nourished each of her relationships, and held each unique relationship close to her heart. Family and friends were everything to her.

She lived by example, looking on the bright side in all situations and lived life to the fullest by enjoying family and friends, and smiling and laughing often. Her loving, generous and selfless spirit left their mark on all who knew her, and her sense of humour in all situations was an inspiration. She was always positive even through challenges and struggles and that was a constant amazement.

She would do so much for so many and ask for nothing in return - it was enough to know she made others happy for her having done it.

She will be dearly missed more than words can express. Gone too soon and unexpectedly, taken from all of our lives before we were ready to let her go. Those she leaves behind will be struggling to fill the void left in our hearts and our lives for years to come. We wish she didn’t have to go so soon.

Gone but always held dear, out of reach but always near to our hearts, and never, ever forgotten. Memories each one of us have made with her will sustain us for the rest of our days until we meet again.

We’ll miss her forever, think of her always, and never be the same now that God has called her home.

Viewing for those who knew Diane will be at Ward Funeral Home “Weston Chapel”, 2035 Weston Rd., Toronto, on Thursday January 25th from 1:30pm until the time of service honouring Diane’s memory at 3:00pm. A reception and time of gathering will take place following the service located at the funeral home.

We invite those who knew and loved Diane and whose lives were touched by hers to attend - and share in our grief at her passing and our gratitude and celebration of the joyous life she lived.

We welcome you to help each other remember Diane, share stories of her life, smile because we got to be with her even if just a little while, and see her off to her next great adventure where she knows no pain and suffers no more. The only pain left is the pain we feel due to her absence.

We pray she watches over us now, continues to let us feel her presence, and know that this is not “goodbye” but only “bye for now”.

We thank each and every one of you for loving Diane in your own special way. You all helped to make her the happy person she was and enrich her life with smiles, happiness, love, laughter, family, friendship and memories. Without all of you she wouldn’t have been the woman we all knew and loved, the one we held so dear, cherished with all our hearts and will miss so very much. The only consolation is knowing the reason the loss of her cuts so deep is because she was loved so much and so important to us all.

Donations in lieu of flowers would be welcomed to http://crohnsandcolitis.ca (Crohns and colitis Canada) in her honour.