Diana Lapham

Diana Kathryn Karpovich Lapham, 84, of Chandler, Arizona and longtime resident of Brielle, NJ died peacefully on Friday, March 24, with her sons at her side. The only child from immigrant parents, she grew up in Garfield, New Jersey and lived in Clifton before moving to Brielle in 1965. She was a longtime member of the Church in Brielle and teacher in Spring Lake. She had many passions in life, such as community service, reading, cooking, sports and most importantly, family. She was a former President of the Brielle Junior Women's Club, taught Sunday school at the Church in Brielle and was a multiyear President of the teacher's union at HW Mountz School in Spring Lake. She loved her sports teams, the New York Giants, and the New York Mets. Her greatest passion was her family. She was very supportive of her sons Eric and Nelson and could be found attending all their sports games and activities from grade school through college. This transferred to her great interest and attendance of her grandchildren's activities for Kevin, Craig, Chad and Kaylee. For 27 years, she enjoyed teaching her students at HW Mountz School with a firm, yet caring demeanor and a great sense of humor. She ultimately received Teacher of the Year Honors at HW Mountz school in 1986. If you knew her, you knew she made friends wherever she went with her loyalty, sense of humor and sharp wit.
She was predeceased by her husband, Richard Lapham in 1986. Surviving family members are her sons Eric Lapham and his wife Janet of Brielle, and Nelson Lapham and his wife Kimberly of Chandler, Arizona along with her 4 grandchildren Kevin, Craig, Chad and Kaylee.
Family and friends are invited to attend her visitation on Friday, April 7, from 4-7 PM at Orender Family Home for Funerals, 2643 Old Bridge Rd., Manasquan, NJ 08736. Burial will be Saturday, April 8 at 9 AM at Greenwood Cemetery in Brielle. For more information or to send condolences, please visit www.orenderfamilyhome.net. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Church in Brielle, 821 Riverview Dr., Brielle, NJ 08730.