Diane Lees Thomae
Dateline: Norton, MA
Diane Lees Thomae of Norton, Massachusetts died peacefully at home on July 2, 2015, surrounded by loving family and friends.
Born in Providence on December 6, 1933 to Edna (Prescott) Lees and William John Lees, Diane was the proud extension of a family that operated a coal and ice company that serviced the Attleboro area. When her father became head of the local MSPCA chapter in 1945, they moved from the family home on the shore of Lees Pond to a house on Commonwealth Avenue; just around the corner lived Charles Thomae, the boy she would eventually marry.
She graduated from Attleboro High School and attended Westbrook College in Portland, Maine. Diane married Charles on July 17, 1954, and the couple moved to Norton in 1956. The Oak Street home they built together and the adjoining Windmill Pond Farm were the center of family and social life during their 61 year marriage.
In 1982, Diane and Charles assumed ownership of Charles Thomae & Son, a multi-generation silversmith company based in Attleboro. While serving as Vice President and Treasurer of the business for over thirty years, Diane remained an active participant in civic and social life in Norton, volunteering on numerous Town committees devoted to voter registration, conservation and historical preservation.
Diane’s greatest joy in life was spending time with family and friends in Wellfleet, Cape Cod where she and Charles, along with her father-in-law Charles Sr., built a home in 1955. Over the decades Wellfleet bore witness to her love of gardening, birdwatching, boating and the dozen keeshonds she and Charles owned during their life together. The house on Indian Neck served as a constant source of contentment throughout her life.
Diane is survived by Charles, her daughters Leesa and Suzanne and their husbands Steven F. Crogan and Ross J. Forbes, all of Norton; her niece Brenna Ewing of Berlin; as well as five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, all of whom she deeply adored.
Diane’s strong will and her love for life and family will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute or the Community Visiting Nurses Association of Attleboro.
Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend graveside services on Friday, September 11th at 10:00 at the Norton Common Cemetery, West Main St. (Route 123) Norton.
To send the Thomae family a message of condolence, please visit www.nortonmemorial.com