CROWELL, Dianne Elaine

Born October 23, 1955, died April 28, 2024. A proud Argyle Head native, whose family went back generations on that land. Eventually, she reluctantly left her home community for work. She was predeceased by her mother, Tressie; father, Ralph; and sister, Joyce. Dianne’s high school career included sports such as hockey. She remained committed to her home area even after she moved, assisting with the local historic church. She is survived by her sister, Alice Andrews; and her beloved pets, Sunshine Saddie and Marmalade; as well as a host of chosen family, the women who supported her in life. Dianne gained her love of animals from her father, who bred Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers. She owned horses and many cats and dogs over the years. Dianne had a varied work history, starting early picking berries, helping her father with his bait by scooping kayacks and smoking fish, waitressing, and working in sales as a teen. After obtaining a teaching degree from Acadia, she was hired at the high school she had so recently left. Feeling the need for adventure, Dianne relocated to Vancouver, where she worked at Wild West Organic Foods driving a five ton truck. To help out her father, Dianne returned to her home area and became the first woman in the province to run a fish plant. Specializing in live and smoked eels and mackerel, her plant shipped internationally. For this work, she was awarded a Woman Entrepreneur Award. Dianne was an activist, working to better the lives of women survivors, senior women, and addressing other social justice issues. Much of the work was volunteer. She was on the boards of the Women’s Health Education Network (WHEN), the Women’s Action Coalition, Pandora magazine, Feminists for Just and Equitable Public Policy (Femjepp) to name a few. She was appointed to the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. She helped found and was an Executive Director of the Women’s Centre in Yarmouth. She worked for the Jane Hurshman Memorial Fund and Second Story Women’s Centre on contracts. She even ran for a seat in the provincial legislature. Dianne’s writing skills were obvious in her articles for the WHEN publication, Vitality, articles for Saltscape and Coastal Life magazines, and her Facebook posts about “Mom and Me”. She was also an unparalleled storyteller, straight shooter, a teacher in the true sense of the word, and loyal friend. Dianne could be outspoken but was always articulate and could summarize the gist of a discussion. Anyone fortunate enough to be offered food created by Dianne would describe her as an awesome chef. During her last days Dianne was surrounded by the women’s community around the clock. Some of them had been friends for decades. Many thanks to everyone who sent messages and who helped. Dianne could feel the love. Thank you also to South Shore Regional Hospital whose staff made her last days tolerable. Our community is diminished by her loss. Rest in Peace at last. Funeral arrangements entrusted to Dana L. Sweeny Funeral Home, 11213 Highway 3, Lunenburg. A graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 13, in Argyle Head Historical Church Cemetery, 19 Argyle Head Rd., Argyle, NS. A second Celebration of Dianne’s life will also be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 7, at Langille Lake. In lieu of flowers, donations in her honour may be made to: the Argyle Historic Church Restoration Committee or Elderdog or a charity of your choice. www.sweenyfuneralhome.ca