Dianne L Bodzin

Dianne Lillian Bodzin, born Dinah Leah Jaffa on June 27, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York, passed away peacefully on May 9, 2025, at the grand age of 99, just seven weeks short of 100. A masterful artist and devoted homemaker, Dianne leaves behind a legacy of creativity, humor, and a zest for life few can match.

From her early days, Dianne knew art was her calling. She sharpened her skills at Washington Irving High School in Manhattan, diving into fashion illustration, and later studied at the Art Institute and Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. With natural talent and a knack for self-study, she became a prolific creator of paintings, drawings, and sculptures, working in everything from oil and watercolor to stone and clay. In her youth, she painted skeleton displays for the Clay-Adams Company and colorized sepia-tone photos for portrait studios. In later years, her work dazzled at countless art shows, where she regularly snagged first-place awards. She crafted commissioned portraits for families and friends, donated much of her artwork to charities, and always carried a sketchbook to capture life's fleeting moments. Her artwork adorns the homes of her children, grandchildren, friends, and former clients.

Dianne lived through an entire century of American history-the Great Depression, the War, the turmoil of the Sixties, and beyond. Born to Max and Sarah Jaffa of Jerusalem, Israel, she grew up in Brooklyn and raised her six children in Michigan and South Florida. She spent her final forty years in Rancho Bernardo, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was a lifelong and very active member of ORT during her quarter-century in South Florida.

Dianne was married to Charles Bodzin (1922–2007), a sixty-year partnership (1947–2007) filled with love, laughter, and family life. She was also preceded in death by her son Richard Bodzin (1953–1970) and her brothers Harold and Arnold Jaffa. She is survived by children Stewart, Martin, Elissa, Leon, and Miles, plus many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Dianne's warmth, creativity, and bigger-than-life personality will live on in everyone lucky enough to have known her.