Remarks given at Aunt Diane's Funeral

Just thought I would "document" what I said at Aunt Diane's Funeral. The girls who live here (Sofia, Ella and Maya) also sang, "I am a child of God" and were SO cute and sang loud and clear. It was precious.

Remarks given by Charity Pederson Martushev at Aunt Diane's Funeral

How many times have we heard when driving any significant distance, “Are we there yet?!” Do we roll our eyes or just look ahead to the road in front of us?

When on a long distance trip, you will find along the road- markers. Placed at intervals at one mile or occasionally, parts of a mile. These milestones are constructed to provide reference points along the road. These can be used to reassure travelers that the proper path is being followed, and to indicate either distance travelled or the remaining distance to a destination.

In the lives of each of her nieces and nephews, I cannot help but think that Aunt Diane’s motto throughout her life was, “Never miss a milestone”.

-For every milestone of birth since my brother, Jonathan Snow Pederson, the eldest of her nieces and nephews, Aunt Diane was there to help out any way she could. She only missed the birth of her namesake, and my daughter, Ella Diane Martushev by about 10 minutes since Ella arrived much faster than anyone could have anticipated. I think she was always a bit bummed about that.

- Her commitment to making the first year a milestone with our family tradition of a Panda cake is found in pictures across the years as I look at my brother, Ryan Demars Pederson, nephew of Diane, now 36 with a family of his own, sitting in his highchair with a panda cake in front of him. I compare that to my daughter, Sofia Hope Martushev’s first Birthday (now 6) with her Panda cake. The only difference?  A pink bow instead of blue bow tie. Not even the arthritis that plagued her stopped Aunt Diane from making that first birthday milestone count.

- From her pies, cakes and who can forget the famed frogeye salad, Aunt Diane filled the hearts and tummies of all who surrounded her with the culinary creations she made for the many family events we shared together. You knew, just like traveling a mile will lead to another marker, attending a Pederson event would lead to your taste buds being tantalized with delight. My brother and nephew to Diane, Theodore Paul Pederson, while he lived here and I never went home empty handed at a dinner or get together. Leftovers were a given.

-I remember the summer after my High School graduation was spent here visiting with Aunt Diane and Grandma and Grandpa Pederson.  Aunt Diane made the milestone count as I was taken shopping where she purchased me a new outfit and took me to get my pictures taken. She could not wait to have me show them to my Mom and Dad. She made each person in her life feel so incredibly beautiful and special.

-Birthstones were something that Aunt Diane held in high regard. She made sure each of her nieces knew what their birthstones were and that we were proud of that marker. Aunt Diane gave me my first real pearl ring when I turned 16 and since then, when I think of a pearl, I think of Aunt Diane.

-Always the elect lady, Aunt Diane made sure that the proper path was being followed, mile markers adhered to and showed by example what a difference good manners, poise, and eloquence of speech to name a few could make. She laid down the law when needed and always layered it with love unconditional. My brother and nephew to Diane, Russell Dale Pederson would often be found listening intently because with Aunt Diane, if you could get her to sit down, stories were sure to follow. Truly the matriarch of our family, her keen memory told or our wonderful family heritage and was next to none.

-David Kent Pederson, my brother and nephew to Diane may not have chosen the “RIGHT” and opted to go to BYU over The University of Utah when it came to colleges to attend, but that did not stop Aunt Diane from being pleased as ever as the first Great niece, Nicole Linda Pederson was born. Another milestone she refused to miss. Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, moments are the molecules that make up eternity. Aunt Diane made each moment a milestone and each one counted.

Every road leads to somewhere. Each milestone we have traveled with Aunt Diane including this one is just one along the many we will have. I think Aunt Diane would simply ask each one of us to continue to focus on each mile marker, each milestone, ensuring that we are going in the right direction, the only way that leads to ultimate happiness and eternal families. It would be Aunt Diane posing the question, “Are we there yet?” And if we are not, then we need to keep going… How grateful we are for the knowledge that we will see her again.