Diane A. "Persson" Nolan

Diane Alice Nolan (Persson) died peacefully on February 5, 2026, of Alzheimer's disease. She was born in Boston, the daughter of Harry and Dorothy (McDermott) Persson, who both preceded her in death. She leaves behind her siblings: Priscilla Persson of Quincy, Gerard Persson and his wife Maureen of Woburn, and Susan Egan and her husband Leo of Braintree, as well as her niece and goddaughter Caitlin Egan, with whom she shared a special bond.

Diane's children and grandchildren were the center of her world: Susan Nolan and her husband Ivan Bojanic of Jersey City, NJ;Kathleen Hanna and her husband Jeff of Westwood, NJ; James Nolan and his wife Colette of Wellesley, MA; David Nolan and his wife Kelli of Medfield, MA; and Michael Nolan and partner Jenna Weathers of Watertown, MA. She was grandmother (perhaps her favorite role ever!) to ten: Liam and Nolan Hanna; James, Zachary, Margaret, Victoria, Harry, Sammy, Abigail, and Emmet Nolan-all of whom brought her tremendous joy.

Diane graduated from Archbishop Williams High School in 1960 and the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene in 1962. She took a hiatus from her career as a dental hygienist to raise her five children. When she returned to her career, she built on her expertise, specializing as a trained assistant in implants and dental surgery. Her patients knew her for her gentle touch and her genuine care for their comfort. Her colleagues knew her as someone who could always be counted on. Her children knew her as someone who would pull out a dental tool to extract a bit of food behind a wisdom tooth or examine a pain with a dental mirror. "No chewing gum," was her mantra. Hilariously and ironically, although she eschewed sweets throughout her life, she became obsessed with Dunkin's Strawberry Frosted Donuts with Sprinkles ever since the pandemic waned.

Outside of work, you could usually find Diane in her garden or watching birds-both gave her the sense of peace she carried with her. (She especially loved watching birds in Huletts Landing, Lake George, where she vacationed every summerwith her family and where she was able to spend time withbeloved friends.) Arguably, azaleas and cardinals were her favorites. Arguably. The multiple squirrels she "inadvertently"tamed would like to have a word.

Diane not only loved wild creatures, but also domestic ones and always had dogs around the house. Over her adult years, she egregiously spoiled Bootsy, MacDuff, Sandy, Otis, Monster, and perhaps especially Buddy. She was adopted (as happens with felines) by her beloved kitty Reeses in the last few years. She even referred to her children's pets as her granddogs and grandcats. Diane also loved to read and listen to music (Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond, and Judy Collins, anyone?). And her singing voice was so lovely, if you were lucky enough to hear it. These weren't just hobbies; they were part of who she was.

If you knew Diane, you knew someone who was kind without being soft, thoughtful without overthinking, and loving in ways both big and small. If you knew her, she didn't just care about you-she showed up for you, selflessly (often to a fault), gave you whatever you needed, and if you were in her circle, fiercely defended you. That's what all of us will remember.

Services will be private for the family. To honor her love ofdogs, gifts in her memory may be made to Schultz's Guest House in Dedham (sghrescue.org; you may add her name in the donation notes section).