WESTFIELD: It is with great sadness to announce that Dianne Louise (Patrick) Kalesnik, 81, (1941 – 2022) of Westfield, MA, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family and beloved pets on March 17, 2022. Dianne is the daughter of the late Stephen Patrick and Catherine (Kuzel) Patrick. Born and raised in Westfield, Dianne was a 1959 graduate of Westfield High School, a 1961 graduate of the former Wilfred Beauty Academy in Boston, and attended Springfield Technical Community College. Prior to motherhood, Dianne enjoyed working as a cosmetologist with a large group of clients in the former “Jessie’s” salon in West Springfield. Dianne loved working with her clients and continued using her cosmetology skills well into her retirement for friends and family. Her second love was Dental Assisting. When her children were both in school full-time, Dianne went back to school to take the required course of study to become a Dental Assistant. She earned her certificate and enjoyed a 30-year career as a Dental Assistant in the same family dental practice where she found great joy working with her colleagues and meeting and helping her patients. In addition to being a devoted daughter, wife, and mother, Dianne enjoyed traveling, especially to Hawaii and the Caribbean, gardening, landscaping, walking, and she loved visiting fresh fruit and vegetable stands in the summer. Dianne loved decorating her home for the holidays and enjoyed hosting family holiday gatherings and dinners. She was an avid tennis fan and looked forward to her yearly trip to the US Open in Flushing Meadows, NY. Dianne also loved classical music and was a loyal patron of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and Talcott Music Festivals in Simsbury, CT. Most of all, Dianne was known widely to be a very funny, witty woman who made everyone around her laugh. In her graduating high school class, Dianne was voted “Class clown” and throughout her life, continued her comical routines bringing joy and humor to all who knew her.
Dianne’s husband, Joseph Kalesnik, predeceased her in 2017 after 54 years of marriage together. Dianne leaves her daughter Tamara of Kenilworth, New Jersey and her son, Gregory of Salem, Massachusetts. She also leaves her brothers Richard Patrick of Westfield, Massachusetts and Gerald Patrick of Palm Springs, California. Dianne also leaves behind many nieces and nephews and her beloved dogs, Linus and “Bubba,” and many wonderful friends and neighbors.
Dianne will be reunited with her brothers Stephen, Edward, and John, along with her sister Bertha “Patsy” Wirth. Calling hours will be held on Thursday, March 24th, between 5-8 p.m. at Firtion-Adams Funeral Home on 76 Broad Street, Westfield, MA. A funeral service will be held on Friday, March 25th, at 9 a.m. from the funeral home and a Mass at 10 a.m. at St. Peter and St. Casimir Church, 34 State Street, Westfield, MA. Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: The Carol G. Simon Cancer Center as part of Overlookfoundation.org. www.firtionadams.com
