Suzanne Claribel Diperno

Suzanne Claribel Diperno - DIPERNO, SUZANNE C." Suzanne passed away peacefully at home on June 22, 2010. She was the beloved wife of the late Frank Diperno and the loving mother of Stephanie Diperno and Jay Diperno. She will be remembered by all who knew her as a loving wife, mother and friend. Suzanne Claribel Bollerud was born on November 1, 1921 in Hollendale, WI to William and Dorothy Bollerud. In 1922, the family relocated to Durham, CA, on a forty-cow dairy farm where Suzanne grew up with her three brothers and sister. When World War II broke out, Suzanne set out for San Francisco, but ended up in Santa Rosa, where she studied nursing at Santa Rosa Junior College. It was in Santa Rosa that she met her future husband, Frank Diperno, at his uncle"s shoe repair shop. They were married on Valentine"s Day in 1947, and soon afterward, Suzanne graduated from nursing school. She began her nursing career as an OR nurse at Community Hospital. After a few years at Community, Suzanne took a break from nursing and focused her energies on raising her two children, Stephanie and Jay. In 1963, Suzanne returned to nursing at Memorial Hospital, where she served as a floor nurse for many years. At the age of 64, she returned to school and earned her BA degree in Management at Hope University. This led to her position as evening nursing supervisor, where she was loved and admired by her staff and peers. She had a way of blending compassion and caring with professionalism. During her 38-year career at Memorial, she earned the admiration and respect of all of her co-workers. She continued to practice nursing at Memorial until she retired in 2001 at the age of 80. In 2004, the nurses at Memorial honored Suzanne by establishing the Suzanne Diperno Scholarship Fund in her honor and in recognition of her leadership, nursing skill, support of beginning nurses, and her sincere love of the nursing profession. Equally important to Suzanne was her family. She and Frank were married for 60 years, living most of that time in their house in Montgomery Village. Suzanne"s house was always filled with her many friends and family members, who loved listening to her stories and laughter. Suzanne loved life and was always very happy and positive. She enjoyed reading, and she could often be found lying in the sun and swimming in her pool. Suzanne is survived by her beloved children; Stephanie and Jay (Mindi), her step-daughter; Victoria (Ray) Carmack, her adored grandchildren; Jessica Diperno-Lorge", Jayson Diperno, Katie McComack and Matthew Tees, her brothers; Halvdan (Mary Ann), George (Lotus), her sister; Paulette Triay, her sister-in-law; Cheryl Bollerud, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Her brother, Hendrik, predeceased her. Suzanne was an inspiration to us all. She touched the lives of so many people, and she will be greatly missed by all who knew her.