

Obituary of Dianne Rae Garlock
Dianne Straley Garlock
6/2/1958 to 1/28/2025
How does one put into words the loss of someone so loved. Do you simply list the facts, figures & dates? Or do you tell a story of their life? I think I’ll tell you the story of our life, our love and how we met. Hopefully painting a picture. Not a Monet or a Rembradt, more like dogs playing poker. And she always held all the cards with the hearts... Especially mine. We met through a friend on my 30th birthday, He convinced me to try a online chat program he played trivia on. So Late that night I downloaded the App and while playing trivia I didn’t realize my microphone was keyed up.. Here I am singing aloud to a song , fumbling almost every word.. When all of a sudden I see texts popping up in the chat “is he singing” and Dianne telling them to “shush”.. I couldn’t believe it, I was so unbelievably embarrassed. If there was a virtual rock I would have crawled under it. While others laughed at me Dianne didn’t. Instead she sent me a message telling me not to be embarrassed, its all ok, and don’t delete the app lol.. That was the moment that it all started for us.. Me making a complete Ass out of myself in a chat room with a couple hundred people, and her telling me it was going to be ok.. Our friendship took off almost in an instant, and soon after I knew I found someone very special. That night was the first time we had spoken, and Tuesday the 28th would be our last.
17 years we’ve been together, we’ve lost family and friends. We’ve cried more tears than most, and said more I love you’s than many, We always held each other’s hands and never wanted to let go, We always ended each night with a kiss, even when we were arguing over something stupid I did, Roben Williams said it best , There are three kinds of love, Good love, Great love, and True love, Good love will last weeks to months, Great love months to years, But True love.. That’s the rare one.. Dianne was my true love. Never did I think I could find someone so kind, caring, loving, beautiful on the inside and out, smart, funny, and just the perfect piece of the puzzle to my heart..
Our lives haven’t always been easy, But as long as we had each other we would always pull through. But as time grew on and our health began to fail, the fear of loss was approaching and I feared it most. Not for myself but for both of us. If there was no Dianne than who will I be without her, if there was no me who will she be without me..
I hope that when you read this you know it is but a small glimpse of our love, and I hope you grab ahold of your one true love and kiss her or him goodnight as I once kissed my beloved Dianne.
Dianne passed away peacefully in my arms at RWJ Hospital in New Brunswick NJ on January 28th 2025. She was preceded by her mother Edna Mae Straley, Father Harold Ray Straley, Sister Deborah Straley Garlock.
She leaves behind me, her Fiancé Timothy Benko and Benko Family, her sister Cheryl Parks & Cheryl’s husband Larry Parks, Grandson’s Jordan Means & Levi Putt, Nephew Adam Parks, Her nieces, Amanda Parks, Hannah Parks, Sandy Beachley & Sandy’s husband Billy Beachley, Jennifer Garlock & her fiancé Dale Ruben Richter, Many Many great nieces and nephews and Many Many friends, the closest of which are Jodee Whitfield Fisher, Colleen Crotty, Frank Kertes, Robert & Rosa Carter, and two of her greatest loves in most recent years Kiwi & KiKo.
If you’d like to make a donation in Dianne’s name.. Dianne was a volunteer at the New Jersey Astronomical Association. They are 100% non for profit all volunteer Observatory located in High Bridge NJ.. Or any other charitable organization of your choosing.

