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Light a Candle
Diane Alice Shillington ofThousand Oaks went home to be with the Lord on April 30, 2005, surrounded by the love and care of her children.
She faced her final days on Earth with grace, integrity and courage. Diane leaves a legacy of commitment to her Christian faith, nurturing of her family, and sacrificial care of others. Diane was born in Buffalo,N.Y., on Oct. 13, 1942, to Norman and Thelma Doerfler and was raised by Thelma and Raymond Offhaus. She attended Bob JonesUniversity, was married to Richard Shillington on June 3, 1961, and was a devoted mother to her three children. She moved toWestlake Villagewith her family in 1979. In recent years, she worked for the Boys & Girls Club and United Way. She was a member of Calvary Community Church, where she developed many close friendships. She found purpose in her work and discovered a sense of family in her small group from church.
Diane was known for her baking and her love of the Christmas season. She loved to entertain people in her home, especially her family, for holiday meals and birthday dinners. An occasion never passed without her delivering a loaf of banana bread or a plate of cookies, and a birthday never went by without a phone call first thing in the morning. Always sincerely interested in others, she had a special concern for people who were ill or hurting, and was always willing to deliver a meal or pay a visit. She never hesitated to go out of her way to help the people she cared about, especially her family. 'Grammy' loved watching her grandchildren grow and always made a special effort to plan trips to the zoo, movies, amusement parks and Christmas shopping trips. She baked Christmas cookies with them every year and wanted to make sure her grandchildren had special memories with her.
Over the recent months, Diane more deeply relied on her faith in God than ever before. She became an example to everyone around her and truly lived out her life's verse of Philippians 4:13: 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' Diane's family would like to express its deepest thanks to Dr. Dean Smith for his care that was above and beyond the call of duty. He accompanied Diane to her medical appointments, checked on her regularly at her home and provided irreplaceable physical and emotional support. We are truly grateful.
