Diane Carla (Steuerwald) Doerfler

Diane Carla Doerfler (nee Seif) of Hartford, Wisconsin, passed away on January 10, 2023 at the age of 89. She was the daughter of Eileen (nee Steuerwald) and Harley Seif. She leaves behind her brother Wendell and nephew Teddy, her sister Caryl and niece Cara and grandniece Skye. For over three decades Diane taught English at Brookfield Central High School, where she was an inspiration to countless students. Diane was a fine artist, her favorite subjects being nature and animals. 

Diane was an intellectual woman, with a quick wit and astonishing verbal skill, which she used throughout her career. Besides her teaching job, she dedicated herself to gardening and to her dogs and cats. She could tell you the name of any tree or bird, and her enthusiasm for life was infectious.

She was also an artist. Where most people just doodle, her hands could easily produce enchanting drawings. She had an eye for beauty, which she tirelessly sought out in landscapes, flora, and fauna. Accomplished at photography, Diane nonetheless preferred to show her visual contemplations to friends and laughed off suggestions that she publish her work.

Diane was a voracious reader, a reliable judge of good and bad writing, and an accomplished writer herself. Again, publishing is not what drove her, with her focus instead on making meaningful words to share with friends. Even as her mind struggled with Alzheimer's disease in the last decade of her life, her words never truly left her.

We miss you, Diane!

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