Diana (Rickards) Anderson

Diana A. Anderson passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loving family May 17, 2022 in Lake Zurich.  She was born February 20, 1935 in Chicago to Norman and Alicesnow Rickards.

Diana is survived by her children, Kathleen (John) Harlow, Carl “Chip” Anderson, Joyce (J. Brit) Stephens, and Patricia (Fred) Rasmussen; grandchildren, James, Alexander, and Paige Harlow; Ryan Anderson; Jonathan Matthew and Lilly Elizabeth Stephens; and Kendall, Mason, and Noah Rasmussen; sisters, Joyce (late Michael) Newcomb, and Carol Heitman-Mazzocco.  She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, Carl (2017), and her parents.

Diana was never happier than when she was surrounded by her family. Her four children; Kathleen, “Chip”, Joyce and Tricia had given her nine wonderful grandchildren and they were a huge part of her life. Her hobbies were also immensely important to her and she was known widely as a talented and creative needlepoint artist. She enjoyed stitching most of her life and attended classes by top artists across the country until this past year. Her instructors always admired the delicacy and quality of her work. She was very talented and could bring any canvas to life by her choice of colors and stitches. Top Instructors from across the US knew her well as a peer and a friend. They were universal in their praise of her detailed complex work.

She also enjoyed reading, cooking and of course, her garden. She came from a keen gardening family, and she brought that knowledge to bear to every garden she loved. There was always a wide array of beautiful flowers to admire no matter the time of year. She loved to feed the birds that came to her gardens also, especially the cardinals. They had a special place in her heart.

Diana brought that love of color, artistry and beauty to everything she enjoyed along with a serene peace with those around her. She was unfailingly kind, generous and patient and she will be missed greatly by all who knew and loved her.

A memorial service will be held at 11am Tuesday, May 24 at St. James Episcopal Church, 516 Washington St, West Dundee.  Inurnment will follow at 3:30pm at St. James Episcopal Church, 550 Sunset Ridge Road, Northfield.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Chicago Botanic Garden, www.chicagobotanic.org;  Susan G. Komen for the Cure,  www.komen.org, or Paws for Patrick, www.pawsforpatrick.org