YOUR STORY MATTERS HERE: Dianne Hamerly

By Jenny Monahan

Dianne (Dee) Hamerly is a self-described “frustrated thespian” and bird lover (more on the latter, later).

In high school, Dee earned the lead female role in Bye Bye Birdie (note the “bird” connection), only to have the school board cancel the production because it was “too risqué.” Instead, her school put on The Mouse That Roared.

“That show required a tall female lead,” Dee – a diminutive 5 feet – explained, “and I didn’t get it.”

Her talent has found plenty of outlets at Dutilh Church, where Dee spends many of her days rehearsing, singing, ringing handbells, and serving as a liturgist and now cantor for the 11 a.m. Sunday worship service.

A tireless volunteer, Dee is also engaged in a variety of non-musical activities and ministries. For years, she has been a faithful participant in Dutilh’s Thursday morning Bible study, a Flea Market volunteer, and a member of Faithful Followers. She recently took on the responsibility of organizing the monthly Faithful Followers gatherings and is frequent volunteer with Dutilh’s Loaves & Fishes kitchen ministry, where she currently helps serve Lenten Dinners before heading over to the Sanctuary for another music rehearsal.

A regular at Dutilh’s Quilt & More and fabric bags ministry gatherings, Dee also decorates the church’s sanctuary, greeting area, and other public spaces for Christmas each year. She is part of the gardening team that keeps Dutilh’s grounds looking good, and both the Christmas and Easter Cantatas; she helps where she is needed with special projects and events like moving education wing furniture into the storage shed, or caroling at the Municipal Center at Christmas.

“I’m involved in a lot at church,” Dee conceded, “but I’m not a committee person. I’m a worker bee.”

Clarifying that she loves to get things done, and loves to talk, but does not like to talk about getting things done, Dee explained, “I enjoy the work itself – I’m more of a doer.”

A native of Lebanon County, PA, near Hershey (Milton S. Hershey was her grandfather’s cousin), Dee grew up in a small town where – when the wind blew in the right direction – you could smell chocolate in the air.

With four close friends, Dee was part of the “Fontana Five” in high school. Though her church had no choir, the Fontana Five sang at various churches in the area. She was also active in speech contests held by the women’s group at her church.

She attended Penn State University and studied child psychology, but left before she graduated to marry her college sweetheart. Dee moved to the Pittsburgh area when she married; she raised a daughter and two sons while also working in various sales positions.

In her professional life, Dee takes satisfaction from knowing that “I was not a stereotypical salesperson. I treated people fairly and honestly, offering pros and cons rather than trying to make the sale at all costs.”

She also found opportunities to share her creative gifts at Levin’s Furniture – her long-time employer – where she was a regular performer in annual skits and would rewrite song lyrics to perform for and celebrate her colleagues. Faithful Followers friends got a taste of her talents at a recent luncheon, where Dee sang a version of the Cheers theme song rewritten just for her Dutilh family.

Dee first found Dutilh Church when she moved to Cranberry Township from Gibsonia, more than 25 years ago.

“The people are the best part of Dutilh,” Dee said. “It’s a very friendly church. People care about each other, and there is so much going on.”

In addition to an outlet for her creative talents and a friendly community, Dee found Jim Goehring, the love of her life, here at Dutilh. They first met while chatting with mutual friends in the greeting area one Sunday.

Though Jim passed away in 2020, Dee is grateful that the couple had 17 months of joy together.

She has found that her involvement at church helps to keep her focused on something other than her grief at missing Jim.

“Dutilh gives you a lot of opportunities to love God, love others, and love to serve. There are so many ministries!” Dee said. “This church recognizes your gifts and interests and works with you to make that happen.”

“You never get over that grief,” Dee explained. “There are good days and bad days. Staying active at church helps me have more good days.”

She also appreciates the sense of belonging she has found at Dutilh. “This church is my family – everyone has times where they feel insecure inside. Here at church, I could be anywhere with anyone, and I would not feel like an outsider.”

When she’s not singing or serving at Dutilh, Dee enjoys photography – she is a talented enough amateur enthusiast that she had a studio set up in her basement for a number of years, and often did portraits for friends. She also loves feeding, watching, and photographing the birds outside her dining room window. She regularly sees chickadees, three kinds of woodpeckers, goldfinches, house finches, nuthatches, and titmice. Her favorites, though, are the cardinals.

Citing the adage, “When cardinals appear, angels are near,” Dee said she often sees cardinals and thinks of Jim, giving her a sign to remind her that she is loved.

Though she may never have gotten to star in Bye Bye Birdie, Dee has indeed found a life full of opportunities to create joy and serve others through her many gifts and talents—and the birds seem to be a constant, whether as a show title or the real thing .

If you or someone you know in the Dutilh family has an interesting story or profession, send us your ideas! We would love to help tell the story. Email: communications@dutilhumc.org.