Obituary of Diantha S Pearson

Diantha Sudor Pearson, a resident of Fellowship Village in Basking Ridge, NJ, went to be with the Lord on February 9, 2019. Her daughters were at her bedside when she died of metastatic breast cancer at age 90.

Diantha Miriam Sudor was born on September 2, 1928 in St. Paul, MN, one of six children of Lucille Nichols Sudor and Carl Albert Sudor. She met Earle Pearson at Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, MN and they were married for 65 years, until Earle’s death on January 20, 2019. They had two daughters, Mary and Martha.

A graduate of Minnehaha Academy and the Lutheran Deaconess Hospital School of Nursing, both in Minneapolis, Diantha was a registered nurse whose specialty was infant and neonatal care, at Lutheran Deaconess and Fairview Southdale Hospitals in Minneapolis, Glendora Community Hospital in Glendora, CA, and for 25 years at Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ. She also held certifications in therapeutic touch and grief counseling.

Diantha was the recipient of two cornea transplants, the result of a rare corneal disease, and she dedicated her volunteer time as an ambassador and fundraiser for the NJ Sharing Network for Organ and Tissue Donation. She and Earle were active in the Swedish-American organization the Vasa Order of America Lodge Linne No. 429. Diantha and Earle were also honored with the Overlook Hospital Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteerism in 2005.

A talented needle worker, Diantha’s intricate crewel and needlepoint pieces continued to challenge her even as her eyesight began to fail. In her later years she switched to knitting, a pastime she shared with her two daughters. She loved her flower garden and Colonial Williamsburg. Active in Lutheran Church congregations where the family made their home, in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Glendora, CA and New Providence, NJ, Diantha and Earle cherished the many lifelong friends they made in each place they lived.

Diantha was preceded in death by her husband, Earle, her parents, her sister Jean Sudor Brack, and her brothers Carl Alan Sudor and Donald Maurice Sudor. She is survived by her daughters, Mary Barbour (Alfred) of Sewickley, PA and Martha Kiger (Patrick) of Takoma Park, MD, two grandchildren, Anna Christina Barbour and Jerome Minh Le Kiger, her sister, Emmy Lou Grady of Laguna Woods, CA and her brother Ben Leonard of Glendale, AZ. The family wishes to thank the dedicated doctors, nurses and caregivers of Fellowship Village.

A memorial service will be held for Diantha and Earle on Saturday, March 9, 2019 at 2:00pm, at Faith Lutheran Church, 524 South Street, New Providence, NJ 07974. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Overlook Foundation, 36 Upper Overlook Road, Summit, NJ 07902 or the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, 5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 526, Dallas TX 75244 (www.komen.org).  For further information, or to leave an online condolence message please visit www.gcfuneralhome.com