Diane (Pieters) Alessi |
| Posted 2025-11-27 by Sharla |
| Wickenburg Funeral Home & Crematory Wickenburg, Arizona Diane Alessi July 16, 1932 - November 17, 2025 Diane Alessi (née Pieters), a longtime resident of Wickenburg, passed away peacefully on November 17th in hospice care after a brief illness. She was born in 1932 at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, to Lt. Vernon R. Pieters, a Navy flight engineer from San Antonio, and Iris Dorothy Sorrell, a stenographer from Washington, D.C. As a Navy daughter, she spent her early childhood in Pensacola, San Diego, the Panama Canal Zone, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and Memphis. Diane and her younger siblings moved to Phoenix in the early 1940s when their father established the Naval Air Facility at Litchfield. In Phoenix, she attended St. Matthew Catholic School, St. Mary's High School, and Arizona State College. She later worked as an executive secretary for an insurance firm in Phoenix and for Arizona Highways magazine before marrying New York City native and Navy veteran James Alessi in 1952 at St. Gregory's in Phoenix. Diane, Jim, and their first son, Gary, moved to Wickenburg in 1955 when Jim began a twenty-year career with Arizona Public Service. A second son, Glen, was born in 1956, and the family lived on Oxbow Drive for more than 25 years. Diane was active in the PTA, the Lions Club, and St. Anthony's Altar Society. She later entered the real estate industry with her husband Jim, and went on to manage Century 21-Arizona West Realty with distinction for over 30 years. In recent years, she devoted her time to volunteering at the Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce and assisting with office administration at St. Anthony's Church. Diane loved dancing the Lindy Hop, swimming, and bicycling. She enjoyed the Cardinals and the Suns, kept Elvis Presley playing in the car, and had a fondness for Hallmark movies and classic television. She was known for her work ethic, generosity, and loyalty, and for the respect she earned through her intelligence, perseverance, and kindness. She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, James Alessi; her brother, Vernon Pieters II; and her sister, June (Pieters) Michaels. She is survived by her sons, Gary (Rebekah) of San Francisco and Glen (Adele) of Fidenza (Parma), Italy; and her granddaughter, Shoshanah Alessi of San Francisco. The family extends its gratitude for the many expressions of kindness received, and particularly for the constant support provided by Marlene Kropf, Susie Johnson Kensinger, LuAnn Snodgrass McClure, Julia Macias Brooks, Nora Qorri, and Tammy Skrumbellos Monett. A Funeral Mass for Diane will be celebrated on Thursday, December 18, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Anthony's Catholic Church. A small reception will follow in O'Sullivan Hall, adjacent to the church. Family and friends are respectfully invited. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Diane Alessi, please visit our flower store. See Also: Find A grave |
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