Diana "Peach" M. Sajovic Carlson

CARLSON. Diana M. “Peach” nee: Sajovic, age 52. Beloved wife of Michael. Loving and devoted mother of Michael II, Matthew and Martin. Treasured daughter of the late Henry and the late Julia Sajovic. Wonderful daughter-in-law of Dolores and the late Arthur Carlson. Cherished sister of Susan (the late Richard) Savoia, Henry F. (Jean), Peter (Sylvia), Paul (Elise) Sajovic; dear sister-in-law of Mark Carlson. Aunt to many and a friend to all. Favorite teacher and coach. Funeral service Friday, November 12, 2010. Chapel prayers 9:00 am at Chapel Hill Gardens South Funeral Home, 11333 S. Central Ave. Oak Lawn, IL 60453 to 10:00 am Mass at St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel, 7740 S. Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60620. Visitation Thursday 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Interment, Resurrection Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Carlson Family Fund would be appreciated. Please celebrate Peach’s life at www.chapehillgardenssouth.com. Info 708-636-1200.

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Diana M. Carlson was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this woman was an outstanding luminary and that her natural abilities served her well. She knew with certainty how she wanted to set priorities in all aspects of her life. She struck those who knew her as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what she expected from her day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Peach was a woman who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Peach would set about immediately to create it.

Peach was born on January 22, 1958 at St. Anne's Hospital in Chicago, IL. Her parents were Henry and Julia. Peach was raised in Chicago, IL. Peach was brought up to be reasonable in her actions and was taught to use her intellect wisely. She was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced her self-confidence. Even at a young age, Peach was credited with having a positive influence on those around her.

The positive atmosphere that Peach generated spread to her family. Peach was raised with four siblings. She had one older brother, Hank, and one older sister, Sue, and two younger brothers Pete and Paul. Peach served as a catalyst within the family. She often found herself in the role of providing fair solutions to those sibling disputes. In every family activity, Peach was able to demonstrate her uncommon logic and skill at building compromise.

Peach's enthusiasm for learning and the personal energy that enthusiasm generated led to her exhibiting leadership qualities early on in her childhood. She liked to see things executed properly and showed a skill for taking control of situations that were drifting out of control. At the same time, she was willing to experiment with different approaches as she worked a plan towards a solution. As a young girl, she enjoyed playing basketball. She was a Brownie and a Girl Scout with Daisy Zeleznikar. And in her spare time she liked to roller skate like all the kids from the old neighborhood.

When it came to academics and school, Peach's organizational skills reaped dividends. Peach was able to create a system for getting her class work done in a proper and timely manner. With a strong ability to analyze her schoolwork and assignments, she could apply a practical, common sense approach completing her studies. She showed a natural curiosity in the manner in which she tackled new types of problems and would regularly challenge her own reasoning ability in finding solutions. She graduated from Maria High School in 1976. She enjoyed some courses more than others and developed favorite classes and teachers. The teacher she enjoyed learning from the most was Sr. Vendelina who set Peach on her love for learning track... Not being one of the tallest making the basketball team and being on the honor roll where big accomplishments for her

The work habits and approaches to studying that Peach utilized in high school also served her well in college. Peach always seemed on a quest for knowledge. She was able to generalize, summarize and compile information for her classes, employing a matter-of-fact approach. Peach was intuitive and mentally alert, seemed to crave the challenge of solving complex problems. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from St. Francis University Major in Pre- Law. She also pursued graduate school, earning her Masters Degree in Education. Her favorite courses were Criminal Science. Her favorite professor was Ms. Cosgrove.

In a group of friends and acquaintances, Peach was typically the first person to take the initiative to go up and greet someone new. That quality made her very approachable by others throughout her life. This same quality brought Peach the reward of many friends. Maintaining loyalty to those friends was a trait that came naturally to Peach. She believed that she should treat others in a fair manner, in the same way she wanted to be treated. Peach also showed a great deal of appreciation for the accomplishments of her friends. While growing up, some of her best friends were Annette, Mary D., Rosemary and countless others. Later in life, she became friends with everyone she met...To Peach you were only a stranger once.

As Peach knew in other aspects of her life, she had a clear vision of what she sought in a relationship and worked hard to achieve it. On October 20, 1984 Peach exchanged wedding vows with Michael Arthur Carlson at St. Stephen Church of Chicago, IL. Michael was a significant part of her life, and it wasn't necessary for Peach to be overly sentimental or expressive about it for others to be aware of their mutual devotion. Peach's secret to success was that she always kept the lines of communication open in the marriage and applied the important skill of being a good listener.

Family and children were important to Peach, even if she didn't’t always show it. Peach was blessed with three children, her three sons, Michael A. II, Matthew and Martin. Peach was able to keep order in the family by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as she did at work. Peach rarely made a scene when it came to discipline. Instead, she was subtle and patient in her dealings when teaching the children right from wrong.

At work Peach was viewed as a natural leader. She could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. She was great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. Peach was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. She was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although Peach might have been described by some as an overachiever, she was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. Her primary occupation was Teacher an "AWESOME" Teacher.

Not only did Peach find pleasure in pursuing her various hobbies, she also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. Her skill at problem solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. Her favorite pursuits in life were raising her boys and coaching soccer.

No matter what the activity was, Peach had the ability to motivate others. This talent influenced her participation in sports, too. She sought out the possibilities in a competitive situation, and she stayed cool and calm under pressure. She relished the stimulation of the action and energy associated with sports. In high school, Peach played Basketball. Recreational sports included Soccer and Karate. She was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed following her favorite events whenever she got the opportunity. Tops on her list were Soccer and Football and of course her St Rita & Chicago teams... Peach's ability to motivate, direct and organize others made her a valuable asset to the organizations to which she contributed during her lifetime. Peach was one who could be counted on to work hard to implement goals and required little to begin work on a specific task. Once a project was begun, Peach had a definite methodology for seeing it through to completion. Throughout her later years, Peach was an active member of the St. Rita Mothers Club, Band Boosters, Football and Soccer Boosters.

Peach lived her life guided by a well-defined set of beliefs. Her faith and religion were important aspects of those beliefs. Peach has been a member of St. Fabian's Church. During that time, she was a CCD Teacher and Minister of the Sick.

There were occasions in Peach's life where she would find herself involved in a cause or leading an organization and event where her drive to complete the project or meet the established goal was more important than her concern for the philosophy behind it. It was this kind of commitment and drive that earned her praise and honors throughout her life. Some of her most prestigious awards included some of her school awards or black belt awards but the one she treasured most was being considered #1 Mom & Wife to the men she loved most in her life Mike-Mike-Matt & Marty...her Marvelous Men!!!

Traveling, especially vacations, was another way for Peach to apply her exceptional leadership and organizational skills. She liked exploring different places but also enjoyed designing and scheduling the trips in advance. She had real talent for developing the perfect itineraries. Favorite vacations included family trips to Florida, and Delavan, WI. But truly Peach always considered it a vacation when the temperature hit 40 and she could ride with her toppless in her beloved RED Sebring Convertible...She would be gone like the wind!

Peach was a lover of animals and cherished her pets were her dogs Truck, Summer and Maggie May.

Peach passed away on November 8, 2010 at Christ Hospital surrounded by her loving family. Until the very end Peach fought hard against her battle with Cancer. She is survived by loving and devoted husband Michael and her cherished boys, Michael A. II, Matthew and Martin, her sister Susie,brothers Hank (Jean), Pete (Sylvia),Paul (Elsie) and Mark, Mother In-Law Dolores and the many aunts & uncles nieces, nephews, cousins, friends,neighbors, fellow teachers and students who will miss her smile and caring ways so very much. Services were held at Saint Rita of Cascia High School Shrine \Chapel. Peach was laid to rest in Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, IL. Next to the Statue of "Disco" Jesus.

Diana M. Carlson knew what she wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. She could be characterized as driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Peach was decisive and outspoken at times but was also positive and upbeat about most things. She was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If she saw that something needed to be done, she was always ready to step up and actualize, organize and implement a plan. She may have been short in stature but BIG in Love & Spirit,,,She will be remembered by all who had the pleasure of meeting and knowing Diana M. Sajovic Carlson...'Our PEACH"