Louise Leo DiChiara

Louise Leo DiChiara passed away on Monday, the 17th of May, 2021. She attended Phillips High School in 1958. She was a religion teacher for a combined 30 years at St. Barnabas Catholic School and St. Aloysius Catholic School. She was a member of St. Peter's Catholic Church for 30 years where she served as a Eucharist minister. Louise later joined Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church. She was also a member of the Italian-American Heritage Society.

Louise was a very brave and strong woman. During the last 10 years she endured breast cancer, heart damage from chemo that required a pacemaker, a broken hip, and a fall that required several stitches in her head, stage 4 bone cancer, and a facial tumor that required surgery.

She was preceded in death by her loving husband and high school sweetheart, Louis, to whom she was married for 61 years. She was also preceded in death by her father, Norman "Joe" Leo and by her mother, Mary Costa Leo. She is survived by her children, Joey DiChiara (Paula); Maria Cagle DiChiara, and Kathy DiChiara. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Christina Marlowe, Shiloh Oliver DiChiara, Joseph DiChiara, Elaina Marlowe, Brennan DiChiara, and Shea Timberlake (Keith); great grandchildren, Brayden Marlowe, Ellie Macke, Sophia Blagovich, Olivia Cheiffo, Anna Oliver, Kameron Rembert, and Aiden Oliver; sister, Fran Leo Walls (Glenn).

Louise was all about keeping her family close and made sure she kept up with the tradition of cooking Italian meals especially on Christmas and Easter. She had an outgoing personality and will be missed by everyone who knew her.

Friends are cordially invited to the visitation from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, the 20th of May, at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church. The Funeral Mass will commence at 11:00 a.m. with burial to immediately follow, via escorted cortege, in Birmingham's historic Elmwood Cemetery. Memorials honoring the life of Louise DiChiara may be directed to a favorite charity. Services are under the direction of Ridout's Valley Chapel (205-879-3401) in Homewood.