Nicolette V. DeDiemar

Nicolette Virginia DeDiemar (nee Farina), a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and long-time resident of California’s East Bay, passed away on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, in Westfield, Indiana. Nicolette “Nickie” was a loving wife to Ronald, her high school sweetheart of nearly 70 years. Their marriage is an extraordinary example of enduring love. Keenly devoted to each other, they guided their children: Jeanette DeDiemar (Lyndon), Elizabeth Norris (Martin), and Brian DeDiemar (with whom she is now reunited in heaven).

As a child of Sicilian immigrants and a proud graduate of Milwaukee’s Rufus King High School, throughout her life, Nicolette shared generously the gifts she inherited from her parents, Anthony “Tony” and Rose Farina, including the importance of family, unconditional love, perseverance, and natural beauty. As the youngest sibling to Anthony “Tony” Farina, Jr. (deceased) and Dorothy Zareczny (deceased), she was a loving aunt to the Farina clan of extended family, including Roseann, Diane, Tom, Tony, Roman, Richard, and Michael. Growing up in the Italian district of Milwaukee, Nicolette loved sharing stories of her childhood, especially meeting “her Ronnie” – first capturing his heart in high school with her giggles, somewhat aloofness, and wearing a green storm coat. Following their marriage in St. Elizabeth’s Church in 1957 (Milwaukee), Nicolette and Ron braved the world together, building a life and loving home that took them from Wisconsin to northern California and, recently, Westfield, Indiana. While Nicolette may have appeared to be behind the scenes to some, she truly was Ronnie’s equal partner – providing insights, clarity, impressive hospitality, and elegance while he was at the helm of several businesses and entrepreneurial efforts. 

Nicolette’s intuitiveness, kindness, curiosity, and sense of humor were among her many gifts. Often the quietest person in the room, she rarely accepted the profound impact her selfless spirit had on the lives of her husband, children, family, friends, and community. Nicolette’s love of music, movies, theatre, natural beauty, and artistry was evident to family and friends. Her artistry included creating delicate, one-of-a-kind, hand-painted porcelain dolls. Naturally gifted with a mellifluous alto voice, her musical talents contributed to concerts and church services, including her high school choir, St. Raymond's Choir, and Diablo’s Women’s Chorale. She was honored to be selected to sing for Pope John Paul II during his 1987 visit to San Francisco. She gave her heart through her volunteer service to help children with special needs (San Ramon School District) and as an aide to the San Ramon Regional Medical Center.

She created a sanctuary from the noise and hustle of the world as she curated spaces in and outside the home – each surrounded by a chorus of color, fragrance, and hummingbirds. She found respite from the world at the ocean, especially spending time with Ronnie in Mendicino and Carmel. You were blessed if you were lucky enough to hear Nicolette’s laughter or see the sparkle in her eye. While she may have doubted “her smarts,” she often shouted the correct answer when watching Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune with Ron. She was incredibly proud of the fierce braveness of her daughters and grandchildren. She was the beloved “Nana” to generations of DeDiemars, including her grandchildren Anneliese (Lacey), Andrew (Kelly), Jennifer (Will), Nicolette, and Alexandria, and great-grandchildren (Nathaniel, Andrea, Elena, Lila, Ari, and Ami).

As she now reunites with her family in heaven, we celebrate the life of a loving wife (Patches), mother (Momma), daughter, sister, auntie, cousin, friend, and extraordinary woman who championed “classic simplicity” and always generously and humbly placed the needs of others ahead of her own. While Nicolette wouldn’t often accept her impact on our lives and the world, we have always known that her gentle soul and generosity were much needed to navigate this life. We hope she is now aware of how talented she was: how her sense of humor instilled joy in us, how her keen eye for elegance infused our home with comfort, how her cooking nourished our lives and souls, and that her words and actions guided her husband and inspired her children to lead with patience and love, to value education and culture, and to appreciate that in the end, kindness wins. We ask that when you think of our beloved Nicolette – please consider a random act of kindness in her honor.