Dear Friends,

It's now been over 4 1/2 months since my lovely, extraordinary wife, Diane Summers Arnold, passed away. It's been too difficult for me to write an Obituary until now because I still cannot accept her loss, I grieve so, The suddenness of her passing from massive tumors on her liver (not liver cancer), not noticed by any of her doctors in enough time for the City Of Hope's chemo to save her, is just incomprehensible to me. There was no evidence of cancer on either side of Diane's family and she was so health-conscious. It's a mystery, an abomination. She had and has my absolute love and devotion and we had the most joyous life for 33 years together, and I feel truly blessed that she picked me with whom to share her life. I have been so fortunate, but that only makes the pain so much deeper and more cutting.

I do talk to her morning, noon and night in the hope that somehow, someway, she'll find her way back to me, but I'm realistic enough to know that this is all but impossible. Almost every day I do ask her Spirit to show me her presence and there have been some magic moments that I do attribute to Diane for which I am grateful, but they become less and less as time goes on. And so I sit here pining away for her and still having to research and develop documents for now my fourth estate attorney, believe it or not, and for the new CPA for who has filed for an IRS extension.

I haven't before now been able to write an Obituary. I just haven't been able to face up to the Reality that, until I die and fervently pray that I do find Diane in the Universe, I have to accept that I must write one and so with her brother David's help, I have.

To some of you friends of Diane, her death must be shocking as it still is to me and my family. We loved her, so admired her, so felt so fortunate that she was in our lives and I for one cannot accept that she is gone.

Those of you who knew her well I hope that you feel I have done her justice. I've certainly tried to show my love and devotion in writing this Obituary. Diane was my Everything in life.  My Mission has always been to enable her happiness as was her Mission for me and we succeeded in that so short time given the plans we had already made for our future together. I don't know why she was stolen away from me, but she has been so I must eventually accept it…. Thank you for your patience in reading this thus far..

Chimo

Arnold, Diane Summers

October 24, 1949 — December 18, 2024

Diane Summers Arnold died peacefully on December 18, 2024, in the presence of her beloved husband, John "Chimo" Arnold, in their Laguna Beach home in California. She was born Diane Marie Summers to Merrill "Bud" and Joan Summers in Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York, on October 24, 1949. As a child, she lived in Westbury and then Islip, Long Island, New York. She graduated from high school from the Academy of Saint Joseph in Brentwood, Long Island, New York, in 1967 and from college from Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1971.

After her move to Boston, Massachusetts, Diane rose to the top in advertising and marketing through her communication and oratory skills and became president of the Boston office of Christopher Thomas Associates from 1988-2000. She met "the man of my dreams" and married Chimo Arnold on September 17, 1994, on Martha's Vineyard and lived in Boston until 2001, when they moved to Laguna Beach, California, to enjoy an active outdoor life year-round, savoring the beauty of nature on the edge of the ocean. For a while, Diane consulted with Christopher Thomas Associates. Shortly after retiring, she became Marketing Consultant/Strategic Planner for the Puerto Vallarta Tourism Board and later served in the same capacity, attracting North Americans to purchase homes in Costa Baja, Mexico. Diane helped create the Mexico Real Estate Coalition dedicated to the same purpose and was Strategic Consultant to Destino Ocean Front Resort in Ensenada, Mexico, and to Sensara Vallarta in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, doing all this as president of Corporate Breakthroughs, Inc.

Diane's heart for music and the arts led her to work on several projects with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, where Chimo was on the board of directors for many years. Chimo and Diane helped create the yearly Laguna Beach Music Festival, with Diane serving as a board member and becoming its pro bono marketing director. After her passing, the 2025 festival board of directors honored her and her contributions in the 23rd festival program. In addition, Diane also served on the board of XChange to improve opportunities for eradicating poverty among women and families in the developing world by helping to set up micro-enterprise and training programs. In a 2009 digital article in the Orange County Register, Diane was quoted as stating that her life philosophy/motto was, "To whom much is given, much is expected."

For many years, Diane and Chimo were annual subscribers to the wonderful LA Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra; to South Coast Rep, a regional theatre company; and to the Chance Theater, where she made so many major contributions that, after her death, they established a chair to honor Diane and her legacy.

Diane and Chimo happily traveled the world, visiting 89 countries.

Diane was a vital spirit, so vibrant, vivacious, effervescent, and a ray of sunshine to all who knew her, always demonstrating heartfelt generosity and thoughtfulness. Her sweetness and goodness, her warmth, wit, and spirit, caused Chimo to call her "Tinker Bell" as she was so full of joy and happiness; she would often say, "My life with Chimo is second to none!"

She took care of her health by being an avid jogger and hiker and by following a health-focused diet. Deeply devoted to her family and friends, Diane always kept in contact with the friends she had made in Boston and internationally, as well as those she had made throughout her life. Friends, as well as Chimo, would often say, "To know Diane is to love Diane." She was an extraordinary wife, daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, stepmother, and step-grandmother.

She is survived by her husband, John "Chimo"; brother, David Summers (Lorna); sister-in-law, Laura Summers (Willis, deceased); as well as a niece, Noah Summers; nephews, Samuel Summers (Sara) and William Summers; and cousins, Jan Hicinbothem (John), Jon Haag, Larry Haag (Susan, deceased), and Martha Haag. She is also lovingly remembered by John Arnold's brother, Pete (Margery), and John's sons, Derek (Cristina), Keith (Fran), and Craig (Victoria), grandchildren, and many other family members and friends.

As Diane had requested, her body was cremated. My son, Keith, and I in a sailboat with a good friend scattered most of her ashes in the ocean opposite our Paradise Cove home. I've retained the remainder of Diane's ashes in that container, also five pounds in a beautiful urn which my son Keith and his wife Francis obtained for me in Diane's favorite blue color, in a wonderful glass heart in which the glass maker infused several of her ashes, and in Diane's favorite locket which also contains a few of her ashes which I wear upon all my clothes every day together with her diamond wedding ring. In these four ways not only is she with me in my mind and spiritually but also physically. I so honor my Tinker Bell, my wondrous Diane.