Diane Chur
Died peacefully at home in San Francisco. Born in Kula, she grew up in Corn Mill Camp, home to Maui Pineapple plantation workers. After graduating from Maui High School, she earned her BS in nursing from the University of Hawaii, Honolulu. She worked at Kuakini Hospital in Honolulu before moving to San Francisco in 1958, working at UCSF Medical Center for many years. She also worked at New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston for a year and a half.
In the 1970s Diane became nurse manager of the San Francisco-based OB/GYN practice of Drs. Gilbert Webb, William Graves, James Westberg and Gordon Peacock, serving as the rudder that kept the boat sailing smoothly until her retirement in the mid-1990s. She loved her work, bringing exacting standards and a reassuring calmness to her care of patients. That spirit of service extended to many family members, friends and neighbors. She spent much of her life providing rides, persimmon bars and other thoughtful support to loved ones living with serious illness.
Diane nurtured a lifelong love of travel. In the 1960s, she traveled with friends through Europe on $5 a day for eight months. Ever the adventurer, she bought a red Karmann Ghia from the Volkswagen factory in Osnabruck, Germany. On its maiden voyage she asked a kind stranger to show her how to put the car in reverse as a streetcar approached. In retirement, she reveled in seeing the zebras in Tanzania and the blue-footed boobies in the Galapagos, also traveling to China, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Russia and other far-flung destinations.
Closer to home, Diane was an avid fan of the Warriors, 49ers and Giants, and enjoyed season tickets to the San Francisco Symphony, Opera and Ballet. She took ukelele and tai chi classes, and walked around Stow Lake (now Blue Heron Lake) in Golden Gate Park nearly every day before dawn, greeting her many dog friends with treats.
She loved reading mysteries, perused the San Francisco Chronicle from start to finish, and completed the crossword puzzle each day. She had a special affinity for animals, doting on the lucky pairs of cats who lived with her over the years. Until recently she drove her stick shift Honda to weekly farmers markets, preparing her own meals with the delicious produce. Although a series of health issues limited her physical activity in her last months, she retained her fierce independence, irreverent wit, and sharp mind until the final hours of her life. Family and close friends scattered her ashes on San Francisco Bay in a private ceremony in March.
Diane is survived by her nieces Karen Chur Traetow (Ron) of New Port Richey, FL, Sharon Chur Lapensky (Mike) and family of Minneapolis, and Elizabeth Chur of San Francisco; nephew Robert Chur of Monument, CO; cousins Patty Martin of Palmer, AK and Richard Cho of Aiea, HI; beloved cats Freddie and Frannie; and many cherished friends. Her family is especially grateful to her devoted caregiver, Lissette, and her family; her generous neighbors Valerie and Matthew Margol and Angela Calvillo; her dear friends Lois and Gordon Peacock and Barney Johnson; and her medical team, particularly Dr. Catherine Collins. Contributions may be made to the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, the San Francisco SPCA, or Common Roots Farm.