Obituary of Diane Marjorie Lee Tardy

Diane Tardy ~a loving mother, grandmother and friend was born in Los Angeles , California on March 16, 1938. She passed away at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Gig Harbor , WA on March 1, 2012~ from heart failure, after spending a quiet day at home with her family. In 1955 Diane married the man of her dreams, Nelson Tardy (1929-1980) They became the loving parents of 3 children. Karen A. Walsh (1957) of Olalla , WA . Guy Russell (1963 -2010), and Keith Nelson (1971-2004). Diane was the very proud grandmother to Jeffery Weaver~30, Tarae Tardy~19, Gage Tardy~19, Trevor Tardy~18 and Malakai Tardy~12. She was chosen to be grandmother to Jeremy Magee, Courteney Magnus & Darby Bramer. She was a loving and supportive Mother In Law to Susan Tardy and a Dear, Dear Friend to SO Many ~All of whom she tucked safely in the fold of her unconditional love. The legacy she left ~ is so beautifully evident in the relationships she had with each one of them. Diane was an active member of The American Kennel Club for over 52 years where she represented her love for the Chow Chow breed. So… began “Jade’s” Kennel. After the passing of her husband 1980, Diane carried on, as his widow, with the dreams that they had set off to realize. She [finished] raising the children and continued to bred and show their beloved Chow Chows. With their efforts, to improve the image of the Chow Chow and with dedicated attention to the quality of the breed standards, it afforded her dozens of Owner-Bred, Owner-Handled Champions. Many of the earlier Dogs [and Diane] can be found in the pages of : The Book Of The Chow Chow by, Samuel Draper . She was very well respected among her peers and friends in the Dog Show Community, specifically with Chow Chow enthusiasts for decades. Diane moved to the Pacific Northwest after leaving The San Francisco Bay Area in 1990 where she worked as the Chef at The Officer’s Club at Naval Air Station Alameda in Oakland . Later she worked with the Catholic Community Services’ of Western Washington as a care-giver for the elderly and as a consultant at The Peninsula Pet Lodge in Olalla , WA . She was the President of The Gig Harbor Kennel Club for 10 years and remained an active and good-standing Board Member in the Gig Harbor Kennel Club. She held positions as the Club Secretary for the Pacific Northwest Chow Chow Club and The Secretary for the Pacific Northwest Sussex Spaniel Club. Diane could be found on Tuesday evenings teaching All Breed Confirmation and Socialization training classes in Port Orchard. Her love and devotion to all breeds of dogs will go unmatched. Diane spent her life advocating for the rights of dogs. “You can shed tears that she is gone, or you can smile because she has lived. You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back, Or you can open your eyes and see all she's left. Your heart can be empty because you can't see her, Or you can be full of the love you shared. You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday. You can remember her only that she is gone, Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on. You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back. Or you can do what she'd want: Smile, open your eyes love and go on.” David Harkins quotes (British Poet and Painter b.1958) ~Diane’s Celebration of life will be on Tuesday March 13th at 5 p.m. at the Burley Community Club followed by a pot luck. When not with her beloved dogs, much of her life was spent in the world of food. Please come share your stories and your favorite dish with her family and friends. Burley Community Club 14853 Burley Avenue, -Port Orchard, WA. 98367 Diane would have wanted Donations to be made in her memory to: FISH Food Banks of Pierce County [A cause dear to her heart via The Gig Harbor Kennel Club] 621 Tacoma Ave. S., Suite 202, Tacoma , WA 98402 Phone: (253) 383-3164 Fax: (253) 383-0964 http://www.fishfoodbanks.org/index.htm E-mail: info@fishfoodbanks.org