Crossman, Dianne
CROSSMAN, Dianne
Dianne Crossman of Dacula, GA, 73, passed away on July 3rd after a courageously well fought, lengthy battle with Leukodystrophy. Dianne was born to Shirley and Bill Fuss of Massapequa, NY in 1948. As a young pre-teen, the family moved to Pompano Beach, FL where Dianne graduated from Pompano Beach High in 1966. Dianne married her soulmate, Hugh Crossman, in 1970 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
She went on to graduate from Florida Atlantic University with a BA in Education in 1971. Dianne was always meant to be a teacher and she started her 33 year career teaching 3rd grade in Port St. Joe, FL where Hugh was serving in the Coast Guard. She went on to teach in Broward County, FL for a few years and then, after moving to Lawrenceville, GA in 1979, she taught for 25 years in the Gwinnett County school system at Trickum, Five Forks and then J. E. Richards middle schools. She always put so much of herself into her teaching and led many extra-curricular activities. She loved her students and they loved her back. Dianne went on to complete her Master of Education and Specialist in Education degrees from Georgia State University.
She is survived and will be deeply missed by her loving husband of nearly 51 years, Hugh, and by her dearly loved sister, Linda Miller, of Fort Pierce, FL. She also leaves behind a beloved niece, Kris Miller Boos (Scott) of Tampa, FL and grandnieces Lindsay, Audrey and Ellie Boos also of Tampa. She was also very close to Hugh's sister, Marty Mitchell (Mike) of Manchester, GA and brother, Tom Crossman (Val) of Spring Lake, NJ and niece Grace Crossman Manser (Brian), grandnephews Bixby and Syd Manser and nephews Josh and Luke Crossman.
Dianne had a terrific love of nature, animals, the environment and any and all related causes. Throughout her life but especially after her retirement from teaching in 2004, she pursued all of these interests with a vibrant spirit of volunteerism. She volunteered countless hours for many charitable and Christian organizations such as the Red Cross, Rivers Alive Georgia, Nothing but the Truth Ministries, Lawrenceville Cooperative Ministries, and Northside Hospital Lawrenceville to name a few. Dianne was a member of Dacula United Methodist Church.
Dianne bravely fought many difficult health issues in her life, surviving breast cancer twice as well as endometrial cancer and yet she never complained or said "why me?". Even when diagnosed with the rare disease of the central nervous system, Leukodystrophy, she went on quietly keeping up that fight. The family would like to thank her many physicians and health professionals that gave her such wonderful care as well as all of her exceptional and attentive caregivers at Arbor Terrace Assisted Living where Dianne resided for the past several months. The family asks that instead of flowers please consider a donation in honor of Dianne to the United Leukodystrophy Foundation (ulf.org) or a charity of your choice. A celebration of life service for Dianne will be announced in the near future.
