Our beautiful, sweet mother and wife Diane Sansone passed into rest Saturday May 23rd, 2026, after a brief illness. Born in Niagara Falls on June 27, 1939, she was the daughter of the late Roderick and Irene Lecksell Manson.

Diane was deeply passionate about the arts, as she loved classical music, film and especially the theater. A founding member and lifelong patron of the arts with the Taylor Theater and Four Seasons Players, she was a set/production designer and costume consultant, and also produced plays for over a decade. 

Diane was an avid intellectual who studied ancient Latin and Greek history with an emphasis in language and mythology. She ultimately earned her Bachelors of Arts in Classics with cum laude honors in 1982, from the University of Buffalo.

In addition to being a real estate developer with her husband Samuel, in 1983, Diane founded a movie production company with her husband called Telesto Production Inc., where she produced films for PBS. With Telesto productions, Diane filmed and produced Anton Chekhov's The Bear and The Proposal.

She was a voracious reader of classic literature, and introduced her family to her beloved world of theater on yearly trips to the Shaw Festival, and the famed Shakespeare Festival in Stratford Ontario. Diane also shared her love of classical music and opera with her children, and frequently took them to philharmonic performances and concerts.

She was a brilliant landscape architect and her Gardens were a breathtaking display of natural beauty! She also designed homes she built with her husband Sam. An intrepid Mediterranean and European traveler, she also lived in France and Montreal with her daughter to study French.

At home, she was an improvisational, self-taught gourmet MasterChef, as she rarely used a recipe. Rather, she created incredible dishes using instinct and inspiration, and hosted the most glorious delicious dinner parties, which could rival any Michelin chef! 

Her Christmas parties were legendary. With a meticulous flare for interior design, she always hand decorated at least three giant Christmas trees! She created lovely homemade ornaments and hand-crafted her beautiful holiday wreaths with her children. Diane was a truly gifted Renaissance woman, well ahead of her time, balancing business and artistic pursuits, while raising her family with whom she shared all of her passions.

Diane is Survived by her beloved husband Samuel S. Sansone, her daughter Michelle (Thomas) Gall, her son Marc (late Sherry) Sansone, Lisa (Wendell Evans) Sansone, Lori (Gregg Angelo) Sansone, and Nina Evans her granddaughter. Diane was the sister of the late Joan Macfarlane, sister of the late Alec (Linda) Manson, Larry (Kathy) Manson, Donald (Molly) Manson and the late Roderick and Douglas Manson. Sister-in-law to James (Rosemary) Sansone, the late Rosalind (late Allen) Wilson, and the late Joseph (Sharon) Sansone. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family members.

In keeping with the family’s wishes, there will be no public services. A private family memorial will be held at a later date. Friends can make a donation in lieu of flowers to Kenancenter.org/donate.  Please visit pruddenandkandt.com to leave an online condolence to the family.

And finally from her beloved Shakespeare's "Hamlet": 

 "Thou know'st 'tis common; all that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity."