Diantha Scherr, age 87, of Valley City, ND, died Saturday, August 31st at Eventide Assisted Living Center in Fargo, ND. A memorial mass will be celebrated at 10:30 AM on Thursday, December 12th at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Valley City. Visitation will be held one hour before the service at the church. Inurnment will be in St. Catherine’s Catholic Cemetery. A livestream of Diantha’s service and an online guestbook will be available at www.lerudmathias.com
Diane Ann Vanderplas, the daughter of Charles and Edria (Spicer) Vanderplas, was born December 12, 1936, in Orange County, CA. In 1944, she moved with her family to Bogota, Columbia. Living in Columbia helped develop Diane’s desire to learn about and experience the world, shaping her into a woman of many talents and interests. She was also a woman of incredible intellect, having skipped two grades. She attended high school at an all-women’s boarding school (Presbyterian) in Montreat, North Carolina, where she graduated in 1953 at 16. She then moved to Bismarck, ND, and attended Bismarck Junior College, where she met her husband and the love of her life, Joe Scherr.
Diane and Joe were married in 1955 and raised three children, Charles, Robin, and Bradley, to whom Diane was a stay-at-home mom. Throughout her life, Diane described her marriage and family as her most important and satisfying passion. Deeply proud of her husband and children’s accomplishments. In addition, Diane also lived a rich social and creative life. Being a world traveler, she visited several countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Kenya. She had also reflected fondly on her travels across Europe, South America, and the United States. Once she and her family discovered Cancun, they would visit annually. Enjoying many years with family and friends, guided by Diane’s sense of adventure and aided by her fluent Spanish.
Diane was also a deeply creative woman who, ever the lifelong learner, could spend hours voraciously consuming books of all types. She could knit, crochet, sew and cross stitch, having gifted numerous sweaters, blankets, and keepsakes and occasionally attempting to teach her granddaughters these same skills (with mixed success). She dabbled in different fine arts, such as ceramics, and had a great eye for interesting artwork. She also had a deep sense of community, and volunteered as a reader in church, serving on the REACH board and spending many hours at the Nearly Nu.
Diane is survived by her husband Joe Scherr; her children Charles (Fatmata) Scherr, Alpharetta, GA; Robin (Jon) Bolstad, Fargo, ND; and Bradley (Debra) Scherr, Jamestown, ND; grandchildren Lamin (Grace) Mansaray, Cassandra Scherr, Jessica Scherr, Sarah Scherr, Brittney (Cody) Jochim and Alexis Bolstad; sisters Susan (Marvin) Grudem and Johanna (Stuart) Tracy; six great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Edria (Spicer) Vanderplas.