Enjoying Life & Coming Home
Diane Stigall was born April 9, 19 – well, we don’t have to go there – in Memphis, Tennessee, the oldest of three. Her father, Terry Hiram Stigall was an electrician for Memphis, Light, Gas, and Water, and her mother, Marcelle Bobbe Stigall, was a homemaker who eventually went to work for the Corp of Engineers after the kids were grown. Diane attended Central High School in Memphis and after graduation continued her education at Memphis State University.
She was a journalism major and minored in education and history. She worked on the school newspaper, was active in sorority life and was even editor of the yearbook. She spent school breaks working at Sears Crosstown where she came to realize how strange, yet interesting, people can be.
Her sophomore year, a friend was dating a young man who had a friend on the football team. His name was Frank R. Talarico. Frank attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan before being drafted to the Army for two years. He ended up at Memphis State to continue his engineering degree when he was introduced to Diane. The two dated a year and on June 8, 1957, the end of their junior year, they decided to marry.
After graduation, they moved to Herkimer, New York, about 15 miles southeast of Utica. Frank was born in Herkimer and his father built roads and bridges. He took his knowledge to form a family business, named after Frank and his brother, Talson’s Contracting Corporation.
Diane stayed home and raised their daughter, Karen. After two years as a homemaker, Diane spent a year teaching junior high history. She then began studying language arts for the next several years, substitute teaching and raising their second child, Terrance. While in grad school she found completing her Masters would force her to choose a specific field of study, so she opted to continue her education as she decided and became eligible to teach K-12.
After Frank’s father passed, he and his brother continued running the contracting business and in 1980, Diane went to teach English full-time at Herkimer High School. Diane retired in 1995 when Frank’s brother died. Frank continued to run Talson’s. Diane then went to docenting at the Munson Williams Proctor Arts Institute in Utica.
Becoming a docent required training, during which time she gave tours, worked special programs, taught children to appreciate art and helped immigrants staying in refugee centers prepare for citizenship. She found this work quite rewarding and meaningful. Diane was also very active in the Herkimer Garden Club, which she enjoyed for 46 years.
In 2005, Frank retired. Diane took up golf, which Frank already played, and they would spend their winters in Myrtle Beach or Florida. They had done some traveling over the years, and it was a trip to Germany in the early 80s to visit their daughter when Diane got the desire to see the world. The two took trips, but Frank wasn’t as impressed, so Diane and her girlfriends traveled the world while Frank and the other husbands held down their forts.
Frank passed away in 2015, and Diane decided after a year and a half that a four-bedroom house, was too much. She looked at several options, and in 2017 decided to go back to Memphis. Her father had died in 1987, and after “Hurricane Elvis” in 2004, she and her siblings moved their mother. Bobbe Stigall, to Kirby Pines. The upkeep on her house was just too much for an 86-year-old woman, so reluctantly she went, where she happily enjoyed life. Diane’s sister, Cheryl, was married to the Kirby Pines Chaplain, Don Johnson, so it made the transition even easier.
Diane followed in her mother’s footsteps and chose Kirby Pines as her home in June of 2017. She felt Kirby had so much to offer and the people were all very friendly and open. She enjoys the Book Baggers, the Travelers outings and is thinking of checking out the Photo Club.
Her mother passed away in December of 2017, just shy of her 100th birthday, and was loved by everyone. I know Diane was glad to spend her mother’s final months with her and, after getting to know Diane, I also know she will happily enjoy her life at Kirby Pines, too.
Important questions face us daily. “Why me? Why this? Why now?” Answers are difficult to find. Reasons are hard to discover. Solutions seem wrapped in secrecy. But more than these there is a unique and powerful question that covers a vaster scope of life. It is the dramatic two-word statement, “What Then?” Issues rise and fall. Circumstances revolve around a sphere greater than earth. We can’t believe what we see in the mirror and are challenged to amazement and at times even bewilderment. I think this question is best illustrated in the words of J. W. Green.
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that attacks the brain’s nerve cells, or neurons, resulting in loss of memory, thinking and language skills, and behavioral changes. These neurons, which produce the brain chemical, or neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, break connections with other nerve cells and ultimately die. For example, short-term memory fails when Alzheimer’s disease first destroys nerve cells in the hippocampus, and language skills and judgment decline when neurons die in the cerebral cortex. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, or loss of intellectual function, among people aged 65 and older. Although every case of Alzheimer’s disease is different, experts have identified common warning signs of the brain disease. Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging, and it is important to look for signs that might indicate Alzheimer’s disease versus basic forgetfulness. With Alzheimer’s disease, these systems gradually increase and become more persistent. If someone is exhibiting these symptoms, the person should check out his or her concerns with a healthcare professional. Awareness of these warning is not a substitute for a structured screening or consultation with a primary care provider.
Typical warning signs include: Memory loss, especially of recent events, names, placement of objects, new information, confusion about time and place, and struggling to complete familiar actions, such as brushing teeth or getting dressed. Also trouble finding the appropriate words, completing sentences, and following directions and conversations are signs. There are changes in mood and personality, such as increased suspicion, rapid and persistent mood swings, withdrawal, and disinterest in usual activities.
Clinicians can now diagnose Alzheimer’s disease with up to 90 percent accuracy. But it can only be confirmed by an autopsy, during which pathologists look for the disease’s characteristic plaques and tangles in brain tissue. Clinicians can diagnose “probable” Alzheimer’s disease by taking a complete medical history and conducting lab tests, a physical exam, brain scans and neuropsychological tests that gauge memory, attention, language skills and problem-solving abilities. Proper diagnosis is critical since there are dozens of other causes of memory problems. Some memory problems can be readily treated, such as those caused by vitamin deficiencies or thyroid problems. Other memory problems might result from causes that are not currently reversible, such as Alzheimer’s disease. The sooner an accurate diagnosis of “probable” Alzheimer’s disease is made, the easier it is to manage symptoms and plan for the future.
Alzheimer’s disease typically progresses over two to 20 years, and individuals live on average for eight to 10 years from diagnosis. Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease are likely to develop co-existing illnesses and most commonly die from pneumonia. Alzheimer’s disease is among the top 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. It is estimated that as many as 5.1 million Americans may have Alzheimer’s disease. The numbers of people age 65 and older will more than double between 2010 and 2050 to 88.5 million or 20 % of the population; likewise, those 85 and older will rise three-fold, to 19 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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