Diane de Guzman
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Diane's obituary
While Diane de Guzman left this world far too early, she lived an extraordinary and full life, with an appreciation for every moment.
She dedicated her life to service, working in East Africa and the Horn of Africa in the humanitarian field. She was justice-minded and generous with her time, skills, and friendship whenever possible. She put truth in the phrase: “a heart of gold.”
Diane loved cultural experiences, delicious food, history, jazz, and gathering with friends. She taught us to appreciate the finer things in life, with a great sense of fashion and decor. No matter where she was, she found ways to bring people together to share a meal and engage in lively conversations. She was an excellent cook, frequently inviting people over for special dinners, her beloved “tea and bitings,” or “sundowners.”
Diane was an inspiration to us all, experiencing far more of this world than many of us can even imagine. She was a consummate traveler and had friends from her international work that she could visit almost everywhere. And with each place she lived, worked, and traveled to, she shared captivating stories and crafted beautiful emails to bring us all along on her adventures.
From the very beginning of her life, Diane displayed her tenacious nature. She was born, premature, in Albany, New York, to her parents Bob de Guzman and Peg (Margaret) O’Connell de Guzman. Despite being less than three pounds at birth, she fought to live, spending two months in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Diane grew up with her cousins the Keeler family– PJ (Paul J.), Ned, Conway, Robert, and Brian– in Hudson, New York, and leaned on them after the death of her mom in her teenage years. She was a highly intelligent child who was a national honor society student.
As a young adult, she worked at the Saratoga Race Course and at Belmont Park, with dreams of becoming a jockey. It was at Belmont Park that she met her ex-husband Rick (Richard) Schmitt. They lived in Santa Anita, California; Louisville, Kentucky, where Diane worked at Churchill Downs, the site of the Kentucky Derby; and, later, Washington, DC. They were married in 1978.
Diane studied at George Washington University, eventually earning a JD in International Law and Law Studies, focused on International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law. It was here that she discovered her real passion for humanitarian work. Soon after, Diane convinced Rick to quit his job to move to Nairobi, so they could volunteer with the Institute of Cultural Affairs (ICA).
Diane dedicated her professional life to serving others, spending more than 30 years working in Kenya, South Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia. She worked for many international humanitarian organizations, such as Save the Children, Bread for the World, and, eventually, the United Nations. For the UN, she worked in South Sudan with the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), first as a Human Rights Investigator and then as a Senior Civil Affairs Officer. She also worked in Somalia with the UN Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), as a Senior Political Affairs Officer. She was known for being community-oriented, always wanting to work with and among people. This frequently meant putting herself in high-risk situations and in conflict zones.
She had many moments in her career that directly impacted people’s lives, always working to speak out for the vulnerable. One such moment was when she contributed to a report for the US State Department about Darfur, by interviewing refugees in Chad, which eventually resulted in the US condemning and naming the situation in Darfur as a genocide. Yet, even amidst doing this important humanitarian work fighting for human rights, she still found time to feed local stray cats (and was affectionately known as “the cat lady” in Lokichoggio, Kenya, as cats were always waiting around for her handouts).
In her own words, Diane said that her life was “active, unusual, and hopefully, productive. Certainly, I was touched every single day by both those with whom I worked as well as by those whom I tried to serve. It was an amazing adventure, one which taught me patience, humility, and generosity. I have been truly privileged.”
In her early 60s, Diane retired from the United Nations and eventually moved back to Alexandria, Virginia to be back in an area she loved. Although she missed her beautiful cottage, garden, and the sounds of “her bushbabies” in Kenya, she quickly found and built a great community in Alexandria. She joined a group to write political postcards for the Democratic Party and participated in many nearby cultural events. Her friends in her community became a great support to her when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, taking her to treatments and helping her in a myriad of ways. She was so very grateful to them.
Even with her diagnosis, Diane’s joie de vivre didn’t falter as she continued to pursue her love of travel as much as she could, taking trips to Portugal and Scotland with friends. She continued to be optimistic and joyful in living, continuing her activities and friendships, even as her health declined. Diane died peacefully at home with friends and family around her.
Diane’s memory will stay with us forever and encourages us to live more fully, generously, and open-hearted. She was a loved daughter, cousin, aunt, and friend that we will miss dearly.
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