Diana C. Volcheck, 68, passed
away peacefully on July 23, from metastatic breast cancer, surrounded by her
family and friends.

She was born in 1942 in
Wilmington. Her parents were Henry and Julia (Harwanko) Burgess.

She attended Hamilton Junior
High School in Baltimore, graduated from Wilmington High School, earned a
bachelor's degree in Spanish from the University of Delaware and taught high
school Spanish before marrying her husband, Emil J. Volcheck Jr., in 1965. They
were married almost 44 years until Emil's death in 2009.

She was known to friends and
relatives as a kind and caring person. Her volunteer activities included the
Encore Shop of Chester County Hospital, Girl Scout troop leader and Cub Scout
den mother, Patton Middle School library, and visiting residents of the
Pocopson Home and other nursing facilities.

She extended her generous
spirit and the hospitality of her home to friends in need, foreign exchange
students, and beneficiaries she knew through the Save the Children and Fresh
Air programs.

Her curiosity and love of
learning lasted throughout her life. For many years, she was the editor of the
"Geogram," the newsletter of the Delaware Mineralogical Society.

Her love of gardening led her
to study for and attain certification as a master gardener.

Her love of language began
with Spanish in college, and in her 60s, she began to study Mandarin Chinese at
the Chinese American Community Center in Hockessin.

A devout Catholic, she
attended St. Agnes and later St. Maximilian Kolbe churches, where she sang in
the choir and participated in daily Mass.

She is survived by son Emil
J. III and daughter-in-law Kathleen Wilsbach of Baltimore, Md.; son Christopher
J.; daughter Juliana M.; sister Alexandra (Donald) Willoughby of Walnut Creek,
Calif.; and family member Jeremy Good.

The family wishes to offer
special thanks and acknowledgments to friend Susan Baldwin, nurse Laurie Clark,
nurse Joan Jenks and aide Maria Aiuto for their support and compassionate care.

Her funeral will take place
Thursday, July 29, beginning at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church, 15 E.
Pleasant Grove Road, West Chester, with greeting and visitation at 9 a.m.
followed by Mass at 10 a.m., interment of ashes at the Birmingham-Lafayette
Cemetery and a reception.

In lieu of flowers, the
family requests that contributions be made to the Delaware Mineralogical
Society, Needleworkers Guild of America, Chadds Ford Historical Society or
Mount Cuba Astronomical Observatory.

Arrangements are being
handled by DellaVecchia, Reilly, Smith & Boyd Funeral Home Inc., West
Chester, 610-696-1181, www.DellaFH.com.