Diane Mary Hydorn

Obituary Diane Hydorn passed away peacefully September 7, 2018, surrounded by her children, at her home in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Diane was born October 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, to her loving parents, Helen and William Gorman. She was the middle of three daughters, sister to Carol Kemp (Dick) and Gaye Shaffer (Sam). Diane studied at Bellarmine Jefferson High School in Burbank. She graduated from Stanford University in 1954 with a degree in Education. While at Stanford, Diane met the love of her life, Marshall Paul Hydorn. Diane and Marshall married at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC on New Year’s Eve in 1954 and were inseparable until his passing in 2015. They raised their seven children in San Mateo and Carmel, California. Diane and Marshall’s marriage was a true romance; she was his companion, muse, and treasure. Diane owned and operated Carmel’s Sea View Inn from 1975 to 2016. She had a great passion and natural gift for hospitality. With help from Margo Thomas, Brenda Starr, and Tracy Hydorn, she made the inn a cherished oasis for countless guests and friends over the years. Her eldest son, Marshall, and his wife Becka continue this tradition to this day. Diane was an avid reader of newspapers, magazines, ction, and poetry. She always knew what was news, what was new, what was particularly beautiful, and what was worth investigating. She was a talented pianist, mastering a dif cult piece of music in a recital duet with her dear friend Ellen as a junior in high school, and a lover of music (she was an annual patron of the Carmel Bach Festival). A devotee of Julia Child and Alice Waters, she was an excellent cook, a green-thumb gardener, and friend of animals, particularly her daughter Tracy’s dog Willie. She had a talent for making cozy and beautiful spaces for the people in her life. Among Diane’s greatest joys was living in Carmel. She loved its rugged natural beauty and artistic charm. She gave back to this special place by volunteering as a Saint Bernard (emergency preparedness service) and keeping its history alive as a devoted member of the Flanders Foundation. While Diane kept busy running her inn and volunteering, she also greatly enjoyed leisurely, conversation- lled meals with family and friends. Diane’s radiance, her warm heart, her beauty, and her unfailing kindness will be terribly missed. She will be remembered by her loved ones as fun and funny, generous, kind, intellectual, open-minded, worldly, gracious, thoughtful, and deeply attuned to the thoughts and feelings of others. She had a tender heart and was moved by many causes, supporting a long list of charities. Lovingly known by her family as Dizie, Muzzie, Mimi, and Mom, Diane is survived and missed by her children, Kirsten (Tim), Noelle (Jon), Allison (Wayne), Marshall (Becka), Tracy (Dana), Nicole, and Colin (Kim); grandchildren, Priscilla (Joseph), Madeleine, T.J., Tyler, Alexandra, Cappy, Ava, Audrey, Claudia, Chelsea, Isabella, Emma, Hannah, Carissa, and Kylee; and great-grandsons, Marshall, Nicholas, and Owen. She joins her husband, sisters, parents, and grandson, Marshall, in her eternal rest. The extended Hydorn family is grateful to Diane and Marshall’s devoted physician Dr. Cindy Lee, and truly excellent caregivers, Rosemarie Stanley, William Canlas, Rosario Gonzalez Amezcua, and Merlyn Balmocena, for providing exceptional care. We are also very thankful for the staff and volunteers from The Hospice of the Central Coast who gave our mother and family incredible care, support and even entertainment when needed most. Diane’s life will be celebrated in a private service later in the fall. In lieu of owers, the family requests donations to the Carmelite Monastery of Our Lady and Saint Therese or the SPCA of Monterey County. She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies; And all that’s best of dark and bright Meet in her aspect and her eyes — Lord Byron To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Diane Mary Hydorn, please visit our floral store.