Diane Conger

Diane (Fisher) Conger, 92, of Lynnfield, a former longtime resident of Wakefield, passed away March 4th after a brief illness. Diane was born in Quincy, MA on August 17, 1932, daughter of the late Thomas Anton Fisher and Celia Mae (McKiel) Fisher. She was a graduate of North Quincy High School and worked for Hardware Mutual Casualty Company in Boston, where she met her husband, Kenneth "Lee" Conger, Jr., who predeceased her in 2000.

Diane and Lee were married for 47 years and shared a love of travel that took them on countless adventures from the Great Wall of China to the Great Sphinx of Giza. Annual camping trips with their children in the pop-up camper to Seven Maples in NH and Prince Edward Island were equally enjoyable. Diane was an active supporter of the First Parish Congregational Church in Wakefield where she taught Sunday School, was a member of the Rosewood Circle, baked and crafted items for the annual Church Fair, and helped prepare meals for Rosie's Place Women's Shelter. She will be lovingly remembered for her kind heart and generous spirit and staying true to one of her favorite quotes: It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.

Although her travels took her to the far corners of the world, she never forgot her Quincy roots and always looked forward to a drive by her childhood home near Wollaston Beach. She was an enthusiastic Celtics fan (especially in the Johnny Most/Larry Bird era), knitted and crocheted beautiful blankets, and made "upcycling" a thing before it was a thing, always finding something unique to make from random doodads. Fried clams at Woodman's of Essex, a healthy glass of Chardonnay and relaxing on her patio with her portable radio were a few of her favorite things.

She was the loving mother of and is survived by her 5 children: Thomas Conger and his wife, Jenevieve, of St. Augustine, FL; Susan McCarthy and her husband, Paul Ricciardi, of Chelmsford, MA; Paula MacDonald and her husband, Robert, of Kingston, NH; John Conger and his wife, Jennifer, of Malvern, PA; and Lisa Hemeon of Reading, MA. She was a doting "Grandy" of 11 grandchildren: Kendra McCarthy, Sara Tolliday, Colleen Farrell, Allison Wilton, Evan MacDonald, Sean Conger, Meghan Yezman, Kasey Colpitts, Andrea Hemeon, Ethan Conger and Ava Conger. She was the adoring "Great Grandy" of 9 great grandchildren: Charlotte and Amelia Farrell, Ben and Liv Tolliday, Blake and Brooke Wilton, Zoe MacDonald, Rowan Colpitts and Olivia Conger.

She is also survived by her three siblings whom she cherished: Paul Fisher and his wife, Maya, of Duluth, GA; Andrea (Fisher) Eklund of Loganville, GA; and Philip Fisher and his wife, Mary, of Pinehurst, NC, as well as many nieces and nephews.

Memorial arrangements will be private. Donations in Diane's memory may be made to the First Parish Congregational Church, 1 Church Street, Wakefield, MA 01880 or Sawtelle Family Hospice House, 320 Haverhill Street, Reading, MA 01867.