Lydia Silva Di Dio

DI DIO LYDIA SILVA Lydia Silva Di Dio, age 75, beloved mother, grandmother, friend and educator of Toledo, passed away Tuesday, January 12, 2010. She was born October 21, 1934 in Brazil to Raimundo and Nivalda Goncalves da Silva. Lydia graduated from the Conservatory of Music in Brazil. She met her husband Liberato in Brazil while she worked in the Italian Embassy, moving to the United States in 1963. She came to Toledo in 1965 with her husband when he founded the Medical College of Ohio. An accomplished pianist, her true calling was teaching. She began as a private piano teacher at home then taught music first at Gateway Nursery School, then later at the Montessori Academy. In 1986 she fulfilled a dream when she opened Montessori Day School at 5559 W. Bancroft and passed on her directorship and ownership to the school in 2006. Lydia was a board member of the International Institute and instrumental in bringing the education of Brazilian culture to northwest Ohio. A world traveler, Lydia was an unbelievable cook and wonderful entertainer. She loved life and laughter. She had an infectious smile and was loved instantaneously by all she encountered. To meet Mrs. Di Dio was to get a hug from her. Her unlimited generosity of spirit and inherent goodness will be missed by several generations as she touched the lives of so many children and families in our community. Lydia will be missed by her daughter Lydia Patrick Schafer; son Arthur Di Dio; her grandchildren and the apples of her eye Joseph Patrick Schafer and Liz Schafer; sister Maria Helena; and several nieces and nephews and extended family members in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Liberato Di Dio and brothers, Arthur, Breno, Dilson, and Murillo. Friends may call at the Walker Funeral Home, 5155 Sylvania Ave. west of Corey on Monday from 3-8 PM. A memorial mass will be held Tuesday at 11 AM in Corpus Christi University Parish. The family suggests memorials be sent to the Lydia Di Dio Memorial Fund c/o UBS 5757 Monroe St. Sylvania, Ohio. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.walkerfuneralhomes.com