Maria Esther Diamond

06/20/1928 - 05/22/2020

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Maria Esther Diamond, an extraordinary woman. Accomplished, clever, creative, fashionable and fierce, she left us on May 22, 2020, one month shy of her ninety-second birthday after a magnificently brave battle against cancer.

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she was the daughter of Ruben Levin of Vilnius, Lithuania and Guisa Alperovich of Kremenchuk, Ukraine. Her parents taught her to value education and hard work and encouraged her to pursue a professional career when most women weren’t allowed to dream beyond a husband and children. And yet she always harbored an artistic streak, nurtured by the vibrant Buenos Aires arts scene of her youth. Inspired by tango performers, visiting Yiddish theater troupes, classical concerts and loud Russian sing-alongs at home, a desire to entertain burned alive inside her throughout her long life.

As a teenager, she won so many dance contests with her cousin Mario, that they were eventually banned from competing. In her seventies she began a second-act as a cabaret singer performing in clubs throughout the Bay Area, achieving recognition for her artistry in interpreting tangos and international standards.

She treasured her upbringing in Argentina and was proud to be a Portena, a Buenos Aires native. She recalled with great affection the apartment with the birdcage elevator where she grew up, summers spent horseback riding on the Atlantic beaches, the French fashions in the boutiques and the delicious steak and wine which she continued to enjoy throughout her long life.

She graduated from the University of Buenos Aires in 1950 with a degree in accounting and proceeded to open her own practice. She spent several years working as a bookkeeper and auditor when in 1957 she decided to take a vacation to the United States.

Landing in San Francisco she was met at the airport by Col. Milton Stanley Diamond, a distant relative by marriage. Eleven days later they were engaged and three months later they were married at the home of her in-laws, Harry and Rebecca Diamond of Oakland, CA. They remained dedicated partners for 49 years until Col. Diamond’s passing in 2006.

The foundation of their marriage was their permission to pursue their own interests and fulfill their own destinies while remaining committed to their union. They had two children, Carla and Eric, and together they enjoyed traveling, entertaining, visiting museums, attending ACT and the SF Symphony and celebrating special occasions at the Concordia Argonaut Club. Maria was also a devoted mother to a series of family dogs, Sappho, Diva I, Diva II and Gaucho.

For Maria that also meant a career as an accountant which she resumed in San Francisco in 1959 when there were few women working in her field. She was a pioneer in her profession, someone so committed to accuracy, ethics and hard work that she thrived and advanced no matter the obstacles she faced. Earning the admiration of colleagues and clients alike, she spent a sixty-year career as a tax professional, continuing to take the streetcar downtown to her office and work twelve-hour days during tax season until she was 91-years old.

Devoted to learning, she spent a lifetime studying everything from ikebana to art history to furniture refinishing, even earning her master’s degree in taxation from Golden Gate University in 1978 while still working full time and raising a family. Her energy was amazing, her will was indomitable and she was always passionate about her interests.

During the last two decades of her life, cabaret performance became her greatest passion culminating in a series of acclaimed one-woman shows. Beginning with an open mic at the Purple Onion she studied, rehearsed and steadily found her voice, developing into a skilled and respected cabaret artist beloved by the SF cabaret community.

While in her eighties she wrote and performed solo-shows featuring tango music and Latin love songs as well as tributes to individual entertainers like Marlene Dietrich. She spoke five languages and loved to sing in all of them. At ninety she performed a tribute to Nat King Cole, one of her all-time favorite singers. She was a rebel who rocked the first bikini in the family and refused to wear a hat, hose and white gloves downtown on a hot day when it just wasn’t done. She loved extravagances like champagne, jewelry and fancy shoes, yet she was always practical and prudent. She was never afraid to bring the drama, to laugh, to cry, to lament and to celebrate. Her life was truly a rich tapestry of emotions experienced fully.

And even though she left nothing on the table, she wasn’t ready to leave this earth and raged against the dying of the light. She had beaten cancer three times before it finally took her on its fourth attempt.

Her memory will be eternally treasured. She is survived by her daughter Carla Diamond of Paris, France, her son Eric Diamond of San Francisco, CA, a large extended family and many dear and loyal friends.

A grand celebration of her life will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers please make a donation in Maria’s memory to the SF Jazz Center Girls’ and Women’s Camp Scholarship Fund, HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) or YIVO (Institute for Jewish Research).