MONTPELIER, VT

Diane Miles Wishinski, 83, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, November 4, 2023. She was born May 24, 1940, the daughter of Annabelle (McDonough) Miles and Michael James Miles, in Pittsburgh, PA. Diane graduated from Sacred Heart H.S. in 1957 and Duquesne University in 1961.

After working in Boston for two years, Diane joined the Peace Corps to teach English in Kathmandu Nepal. She felt "it was the best Peace Corps post anywhere," and indeed she met lifelong friends including her husband Paul whom she married in 1970. Diane and Paul were living in Meridan, New Hampshire when they had their first child Peter in 1971 and returned to Kathmandu, Nepal in 1973 where they had their second child Bruce in 1974.

After eight years living abroad and traveling to far flung corners of Asia such as: Afghanistan, Iran, Sikkim, Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Cambodia; Paul and Diane returned to live in Vermont in 1976 where they settled and raised their family.

Having grown up in a city, Diane always wanted to live in a rural environment and quickly fell in love with Central Vermont where she worked for the Kellogg Hubbard Library, substituted at the public schools and volunteered as an English tutor for many generations of refugees that were resettling in the area. From 1988 to 2008 Diane was a reference librarian at the State Law Library. After retirement, Diane volunteered at the Vermont State House where she enjoyed giving historical tours.

From a young age, Diane learned to create her own opportunities and was able to manifest her loves of reading, ballet, classical music, archaeology, and swimming into rich life experiences. With Paul, she traveled around the world many times, to Alaska, Canada, Ireland, South America, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean and Asia. Some of her favorite places were Tierra del Fuego, Machu Picchu, Connemara, Angkor Wat, and Tibet. In the end, looking at the view of Camel's Hump from her back porch with her husband Paul while reading a book, was probably her favorite place of all.

Diane is predeceased by her two sisters Rosemarie Miles Wolf and Barbara Miles Giurlando, and her brother James Michael Miles. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Paul R. Wishinski, her son Peter B. Wishinski, her son Bruce A. Wishinski and his fiance Olivia K. Devost, her grandchildren Miles Root Wishinski and Brigham Alexander Wishinski, her brother Richard C. Miles and many, many beloved nieces, nephews and cousins whom she cherished.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (www.cff.org) and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (www.stjude.org/whoyouhelp) A memorial will be planned at a later date.