Diana Witkus

Diana Witkus went exactly the way she wanted to: peacefully in her sleep. Diana Beatrice Singer was born March 29, 1924 in Brooklyn, to Herman and Minnie Singer. She joined the Army during World War II and was a WAC based in the Philippines where she helped record the history of the war. She married Frank Witkus in 1955 and moved to Kearny, NJ and then to Livingston, NJ, where she raised her family and worked as a secretary for Weight Watchers. The family moved to Kerhonkson, NY in 1975 to help run a small resort called World Fellowship. After Frank died, Diana moved to Kingston in 1998 where she lived until she moved in with her son last year. Diana's political activism started at the age of ten, when she protested the raise of penny milk at her school. She devoted the rest of her life to helping make the world a better place, becoming involved with SANE, the NAACP, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, the Catskill Alliance for Peace, Women in Black and other organizations that tirelessly work for world peace, equality and justice for all. She traveled to Mexico, Europe, the USSR and Cuba in collaboration with others towards obtaining these goals. She was a volunteer at Family of Woodstock/Ellenville, Hospice and RSVP. In addition, she wrote many letters to the editor as a peace activist and toward the end of her life was very involved in advocating for universal health care. She was also an active member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the Catskills. In her spare time Diana enjoyed traveling, gardening, knitting/crocheting, making collages, reading and spending time with her friends and family. In addition to her husband, she was predeceased by her sisters Frances and Mae. Surviving are her daughter Amy, son David and his wife Eunice, grandchildren Zachary and Shay and many friends from the UU and elsewhere. Always optimistic, positive and upbeat, Diana was confident that the younger generations would take over and fight the good fight. She will be greatly missed. A memorial service will be planned for a future date.