Diana Cusumano, a longtime Santa Clarita Valley resident known for her philanthropic endeavors and leadership of local nonprofits, died Friday. She was 79.
Cusumano, who won the 2006 SCV Woman of the Year Award and later the College of the Canyons Silver Spur Award for her community involvement, was extremely active in the educational community and well-known among those who volunteered and supported local charities.
“Diana Cusumano was truly a remarkable woman. She valued education, made a true impact in her teaching, was inquisitive and a lifelong learner, and an artist who made beautiful grape and olive-themed tableware,” said Marlee Lauffer, vice president of communications for Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and a friend of Cusumano’s. “Her love of cooking and entertaining was legendary. But what defined Diana was her devotion to her family, her friends and her faith.”
One of the things Cusumano loved most was hosting her friends and cooking elaborate meals for those she cared about, said another longtime friend, Joyce Carson, who called Cusumano the person who kept several friend groups they shared in touch with her effort and care.
“Diana was a really, really special person in this community,” Carson said. “She was very, very smart, very creative, and she was kind of the glue that held many organizations together.”
One of her proudest achievements was her support of the Culinary Institute at College of the Canyons, Carson added, which Cusumano encouraged all of her friends to support.
The building bears a sign with her name as a tribute to her support, and the college recognized Cusumano in 2010 with its highest honor, the Silver Spur Award.
“We all have our names on the plaque outside the door, because if Diana was doing a project, she somehow brought us all into it, and everybody supported all her projects,” Carson said, describing her as a natural leader and “spearhead” for such generosity.
She also served the community as president of the college’s fundraising foundation and the governing board for the local Child & Family Center.
Cusumano moved to the SCV in 1981 with her husband, Gary, who retired as CEO of The Newhall Land and Farming Co. in 2006, and their three children.
There was no information immediately available on services.
