Diana Pand 1979 – 2018
Official Obituary
ATLANTA, GA – April 15th, 2018 – Pianist, piano teacher, Diana went to be with her Lord. She was 38 years old.
Diana, was born on June 20th, 1979 in Oradea, Romania to Tina and Alex Petrut. She arrived in the United States when she was 2 years old with her mother, being long awaited by her father, who initially emigrated to America in the year of 1979, right after Diana was born.
Diana grew up in An Arbor, Michigan and was part of the Christian Romanian Community Church in the Detroit Metro area. At the age of 14 she started to get curios of the piano her parents bought as part of the furniture in the house. As she was a curious and a determined girl, she started to acquire some basic skills on the piano to the surprise of her parents. This opened up a new perspective to Diana and to her parents. From that point on, Diana used her strong will and hard work, and for the next few years was able to compete with all the other piano prodigies who started piano at young ages.
After graduating high school, Diana was admitted at the Easter Michigan University where she studied music with the major in Piano Performance. In 2001, she received her Bachelor of Piano Performance Degree after completing an hour long, all memorized exam from the classic composers of Chopin, Beethoven, Debussy, Poulenc and Bach.
In her seventeen years of musical career, Diana played the piano at hundreds of musical and religious events. Diana also taught piano to over several hundred students and guided them during performances through the years. Most of her students achieved a high level of Excellence from the Piano Teachers Associations of Georgia. A few years ago, Diana was named the top events pianist in Atlanta area.
Even though her music career was a very successful one, her heart was close to her church community and to the many different music ministries she was involved with as a pianist, singer and a music director.
At the age of 16, Diana showed her dedication to her Lord Jesus and was baptized at the Middlebelt Romanian Church in the Detroit area.
While in high school, in her first visit back to the country that she was born in, at the age of 16, Diana met Steli, an 18-year-old young man, with whom she shared the same June 20th birthday with. Steli, very deeply passionate with music as well, and one who played numerous instruments, directed the local church band and choir, and was a student of the Romanian Music and Arts School. In reality, their first picture together is on the streets of Oradea, their hometown. They quickly discovered the light of their first love shining in their hearts.
God met the desires of their hearts, and in 1998 Steli won the Visa Lottery and moved to the United States and in the year of 2000, they are united in commitment of marriage in front of God and the friends at Middlebelt Romanian Church.
Her musical career grew as they moved to Atlanta, GA where she continued to perform at concerts and events all over Georgia. She was actively involved with the musical department at Philadelphia Romanian Church and other churches in the area, both Romanian and American. She sang and accompanied choirs and orchestras at national and international conventions. Diana also showed a passion for teaching and she offered piano classes at her home in Cumming, Georgia. Diana also had a passion for the Women’s Ministry and she created numerous events for fellowship and spiritual growth.
In June 7th, 2006, while praying and fasting for a daughter God revealed to her a verse from Isaiah 51 with verse 3, which states the following: For the Lord will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of Melody. Instantly Diana knew that her prayer was answered, and a name was given, and a voice of Melody was to be found in her new gifted and loving daughter, Melody.
In April 17th, 2008, after praying for a sister for Melody, the dream came true and Alyssa, a perfect and beautiful second daughter was born. Bold but with a caring heart Alyssa grew up to be a perfect sister companion for Melody bringing the right balance in our little family.
Both, Melody and Alyssa at the very early ages were introduced into music, taking piano and voice lessons from Diana and Steli. Diana pass down her passion for music and her artistic and intellectual genes to her beloved daughters, who were the treasures of her soul, the pearls of her heart, wanting almost to multiply herself in them.
Melody and Alyssa were meant to have their mother and father alongside their own journey in life, but in the summer of 2016 their peace was rocked, and their universe was shaken when Diana was diagnosed with stage IV cancer, metastasized in her whole body. During this hard time, Diana never let go and became an image and a symbol of faith and hope and Steli a pillar of strength and a picture of love.
After almost two years of agony, Diana’s body could not keep up with the rhythm of her soul anymore and gave up. Diana was ready to go and meet her Lord Jesus whom she loved so much.
Therefore, in the morning of the beautiful Sunday of April 15th, 2018, at exactly 9:00 AM, at the time when the angels come to gather up our prayer and songs, they also picked up a beautiful soul that was ready to fly, into the freedom of space, to an eternal place, that was long prepared, for the one who cared, and was ready to dare, a life that she could share, with the God that deserved to forever be served!
As a result, Diana is saying good bye to her husband Steli, in whose embrace she found so much peace. She is saying good bye to her adorable daughters, Melody and Alyssa, to whom she is leaving all her love and trust which they will now receive from their father’s embrace. To him, she is leaving a part of her soul and her personality in each of their daughters.
She is saying good bye to her loving parents, Tina and Alex Petrut, whose love and care was constant and deep. She is saying good bye to her dear sister, Sandy Lacatus, with whom she shared her childhood years and beautiful memories and to Sandy’s husband, Marius Lacatus.
She is saying good bye to her sister-in-law Fibia and her husband Rob Gee from Atlanta with whom she shared many beautiful memories over the last 15 years.
She is saying good bye to her brother-in-law Teo Panc from Bucharest, Romania, to his wife Daniela, and their little 3 weeks old baby son, whom Diana gave his “Dominic” middle name to.
She is saying good bye to her father-in-law Teodor Panc from Oradea, Romania but she is saying “Hello” to her mother-in-law Maria Panc with whom she is meeting again at the gates of Heaven.
She is saying good bye to all her cousins and all her relatives from Michigan, Chicago, California, Arizona, Missouri and from everywhere else in the United States, England, Canada, Austria and Romania.
She is saying good bye to those who walked alongside her and encouraged her in her long suffering. She is saying good bye to her friends and colleagues all around Atlanta and the World.
Last but not least, she is saying good bye to Philadelphia Romanian Church and all other churches in the region where she poured her heart into over the years.
She is leaving everyone in God’s Good Care and Protection and conveys the hope of the day when we will all be reunited in the Heaven of our Lord Jesus. (SURSA)
All of Me by Jon Schmidt
Pie Jesu – Duet by Alyssa & Melody
Journey to Bethlehem – Piano Solo by Diana Pand