Obituary of Diane Juke

Diane Juke, 91, of Ellington, Connecticut, passed away on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Diane attended St. Mary's High School in Lynn, Massachusetts, and later graduated from Comptometer Training. She worked for General Electric in Lynn, where she met her future husband, Arthur C. Huggard, whom she married in 1956. Diane raised her family in West Peabody, Massachusetts, Glendale, Arizona, and Bridgeport, Connecticut, while also supporting her husband's career. Her cocktail receptions for the classes he taught in Fairfield, Connecticut, were always well received. Diane studied art at Glendale Community College and became an accomplished painter. She shared her passion for art by teaching grade school classes at St. Louis the King Church in Glendale, Arizona. After moving to Black Rock, Diane worked for many years as the Director of the RSVP Program for the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut. In 1993, she retired to Swansboro, North Carolina, with her second husband, George Juke. She enjoyed being near the water and traveling locally. Following George's passing, Diane moved to Jamison, Pennsylvania, in 2003 to be closer to family. In 2017, she relocated to Vernon, Connecticut, and in 2022, she moved to assisted living in Ellington, where she enjoyed many activities and made new friends. Diane was predeceased by her first husband, Arthur Cornelius Huggard, who passed away in 1980, and her second husband, George Richard Juke, who passed away in 2002. She was also predeceased by her parents, Anna M. Barns and James Leo Burkinshaw, as well as her sisters, Joyce (Jack) Sullivan and Elaine (Dick) Healy. Diane is survived by her sister, Laurel (Andy) McDonough. She is also survived by her children and grandchildren: Arthur G. Huggard, Maggie O'Keefe-Huggard, and their children Arthur Charles Huggard, Marcella Wiget, Stephen John Huggard, and Kathleen Anne Huggard, who reside in Saint Charles, Missouri; Mary Louise Young (Pete Richards) and their children, Kevin G. Young and Joseph A. Young of Willington, Connecticut; Dawn Helene Alterman (Bruce Alterman) and their children, Tyler A. Alterman and Chelsea E. DeVine (Travis DeVine) of Carmel, New York; and Sandra Kathleen Wanat, the wife of Bob Wanat, and their children, Clarissa D. Kear and Kaelyn M. Kear, who reside in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Calling hours for Diane will be held on Saturday, February 15th, from 9 AM to 10 AM at Lesko Funeral Home, located at 1209 Post Road, Fairfield Center. Services will continue at St. Ann's Church at 10:30 AM for her Mass of Christian Burial. Diane will be laid to rest at Mountain Grove Cemetery in Bridgeport immediately following the church service. For travel directions or to sign Diane's online guest register, please visit www.LeskoFuneralHome.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Lymphoma & leukemia society, www.lls.org or the Philadelphia Art Museum, www.philamuseum.org