Community Magazine December 2019

54 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Woman Woman to One on One with ELLEN GELLER KAMARAS “How did I deal with life’s challenges? I went with the flow. My motivation is very high and I did not let fear control me. I tried new things, always growing. We are all actors in a play called life, and Hashem is the ultimate director.” Diane Shirley Paige Diane Paige Since January 2017 I have had the honor of interviewing numerous amazing women from our community. They have ranged in age from 25 to 91, and their careers and life purposes vary greatly. I have talked with founders of hesed organizations, medical and health professionals, teachers, coaches, chefs, entrepreneurs, and many creative and talented women. Each time I think to myself: this woman is the most remarkable person I have interviewed. Yet, I have been fortunate to meet one incredible woman after another. Below is the story of a most remarkable community member. Diane Paige, at 91, is a dynamic and quite extraordinary woman and I will try to do justice to her narrative and her many accomplishments in the limited space of two pages. I was fortunate to interview both Diane and her daughter Barbara Haber. Family History Diane was born in Brooklyn to Bertha Cohen and Jack Shalom. Her father relocated his wife and daughter to Albany for his childrenswear business, and Diane did not return to Brooklyn until she started Lafayette High School. Jack Shalom was born in Syria but his family emigrated to Alabama when he was two years old. Bertha, of Moroccan descent, was born in Paris and attended the prominent Sorbonne University. One of her brothers was the leader of the Paris Opera. Bertha fortunately managed to move to the U.S. after WWI. She traveled to N.Y. on a cruise ship with other fellow classmates. Jack and Bertha were introduced by a relative in Brooklyn. They married and settled in Bensonhurst. Diane was an only child. “I missed out, I had no siblings, when I was six, my baby brother died.” Diane’s Childhood What was her childhood like? Diane recalls that there were no other children in her apartment building, so she had only a few friends. However, her memories of joyful times spent with her father are quite vivid. Jack took her horseback riding and ice skating. “My father was quite handsome, and he loved gardening and building things. His roses and cucumbers won prizes and he planted victory gardens.” Diane attributes her feisty, creative, and innovative nature to her dad. In contrast, her mother was a quiet woman who loved listening to operas and doing crossword puzzles. Bertha learned to bake using the fruit from the cherry and apple trees in her garden. “My mother was a beautiful, petite, and exotic-looking woman who radiated calmness. She taught my daughter Barbara all about opera and imparted stories of her childhood. She lived till the age of 94. My dad died in his seventies and I am grateful that Mom lived with me and passed away in my Deal home.” Diane’s childhood dream was to become a doctor, but her parents discouraged her from going to medical school (it was not common for women to go into medicine in the 1950s) and at 18 she married her husband Leo De’Picciotto. Marriage and Family With her marriage to Leo, Diane began a journey of traveling from city to city, every three years. In many ways Diane enjoyed it. There was a new adventure to be found in each new town, but she admits it was difficult. The couple started out in Brooklyn where Leo worked with his father-in-law. They moved to Chester, Pennsylvania, then to Detroit, followed by Cincinnati, Fort Lee, and Deal. Leo rented a store in each location and sold various gift items or antiques. Diane gave birth to five daughters, but tragically lost her youngest, Deborah, when she was only two years old. Diane is so proud of her