Diana Escurel Sabater Emmert of Bluffton, Ohio, died on Sunday, October 29, 2023, at Bridge Hospice in Findlay, Ohio, with her husband and sister-in-law at her side.
She was born in Manila, Philippines, the third daughter of Atty. Luis Gonzales Sabater and Paz E Escurel Sabater, who were from Gubat, Sorsogon, Philippines.
Diana married Jan Paul Emmert in Bluffton on July 14, 1979, at St Mary's Catholic Church, and a reception was held at First Mennonite Church. Diana and Jan met at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, where both had support for graduate research, she, related to the Philippines, and he, related to Bangladesh. Diana first visited Bluffton from Hawaii in January 1978, just after the great blizzard.
Diana and her husband lived and worked abroad in six countries (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Guinea Conakry, Indonesia and Serbia) and traveled to many others. In 2007, they retired back to Bluffton where they were active in both Catholic and Mennonite churches and several volunteer activities. Until the pandemic, they regularly visited her siblings and cousins in the Philippines.
In the Philippines, Diana graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1962. A close-knit group (barkada) of women classmates continued to meet monthly for 60 years in Manila until the pandemic; Diana remained in close contact with them until her death, meeting with them whenever in the Philippines.
After graduation she did research for a time with the UP Local Government Center, and did graduate studies on government budgeting at Berkeley. She then worked on the technical staff of the Philippine Congress until it was abolished by the then President, Ferdinand Marcos. She next received a scholarship for further graduate study at the University of Hawaii, where her doctoral thesis was about the Philippine land reform program.
While Diana and her husband lived in different countries, she had a variety of jobs, sometimes with USAID or NGOs or contractors implementing foreign aid projects, and sometimes with the American embassy. She worked in a Sri Lankan government office to start up a program of training for government officials. In Pakistan, she worked in a contracting office. In Bangladesh, she worked with an agro-technology program, editing a newsletter and various technical reports. In Serbia, she worked in the embassy political office, drafting the embassy's daily summary report to Washington. In Washington, she did legal research for a large litigation involving AMTRAK.
In her spare time she worked on learning arts and craft hobbies (quilting, painting, stained glass and pottery) and collecting related local arts and crafts in the countries where she lived. Diana and Jan were able to travel widely including several particularly remote areas, such as the Maldives and in Pakistan, the valleys of the Himalayan Mountains, the Khyber Pass, and Balochistan bordering Afghanistan. From Serbia, they were able to drive to neighboring countries of the Balkans and East Europe.
Diana continued to be very active, smiling and laughing up to October 5, when she had the first COVID symptoms, a stroke, and a fall at home causing head injuries, surgery at ProMedica Hospital in Toledo, and final care at Bridge Hospice in Findlay. Her family is grateful for the tender support from those institutions, Bluffton EMS, and Bluffton ER.
Diana is survived by her husband, Jan, in Bluffton; her sisters Paz Maria (Nita) Sabater Rounsavell in Fort Smith, Arkansas; Celia Escurel Sabater in Lipa, Batangas, Philippines; Luisa Escurel Sabater in Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa, Philippines; AnaLisa Sabater Tolinero (Rally) and their two sons in Brisbane, Australia; a niece, Shanti Rounsavell Vincent Camp (Tommy) in Fort Smith; a nephew, Roland Rounsavell in Loris, South Carolina; a grand-nephew, Kenny Vincent; in Poteau, Oklahoma; and many Villaroya cousins in Gubat, Sorsogon, Philippines and Chicago.
Also, her sisters-in-law, Joan Emmert Shephard Carrassi and Sally Emmert Sorg, both in Columbus; brothers-in-law, James A. Emmert, of Houston, Texas and Richard (Rick) Emmert of Tokyo, Japan; nephew Jonathan (Jay) Shephard (Aleksandra Maslovaric) of Los Angeles; a niece Julie Sorg Coover of Plain City, Ohio; niece Michelle Sorg (Mike Zerby), of Columbus; and grand nieces, Brandi Coover, Carissa Coover Sorg, Miranda Coover, and Danielle Carnes.
Diana was predeceased by her parents; a sister, Edita Escurel Sabater; a brother-in-law, Bob Rounsavell; a nephew-in-law, David Vincent; her father and mother-in-law, Paul Emmert and Esther Emmert; a brother-in-law, Richard Sorg; and a nephew-in-law, Dave Coover, and a grandniece, Lexi Coover.
She was also fortunate to have close long-term relations over many years with those who called her auntie in several languages. Diana and Jan were “adopted” into the large extended family of the late Mr. and Mrs. Anwaruddin Ahmed of Old Dhaka, Bangladesh 44 years ago, and have maintained close familial relations with four generations of their descendants in several countries, locally including Mustaq Ahmed (Becki), and Sabrina Ahmed Longworth (Kurt) of Bluffton; Sara Ahmed of Lexington, Kentucky; Kennedy, Quinn, and Kaylee Longworth of Bluffton.
A funeral mass for Diana will be held at 11:00 a.m., November 11, 2023 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Bluffton, preceded at 10:00 a.m. by family visitation at the church. A luncheon will be held following the mass at the First Mennonite Church nearby.
Her ashes will be buried privately in Maple Grove Cemetery, Bluffton.
Arrangements have been entrusted to Chiles-Laman Funeral & Cremation Services of Bluffton.
