Diane Fanelli McCue

NIANTIC — Diane Fanelli McCue of Niantic passed away at home surrounded by her family on the afternoon of April 7, 2022. Diane was 79 years old. She was born Jan. 18, 1943, in Hartford, the daughter of William and Giovanna (Jean) Milanese Fanelli.

Diane graduated from Bulkeley High School in Hartford in 1960, and attended Albertus Magnus College and Connecticut College where she graduated with a Master of Arts in Teaching in 1980.

Growing up, Diane and her family spent summer vacations in Niantic at Giant’s Neck and at McCook’s Point beach, and it was during one of these vacations that she met Stephen McCue at McCook’s. They married in February of 1967. Diane taught at Wethersfield High School before deciding to stay home to raise her children until 1981 when she returned to teaching at The Williams School in New London. She taught at Williams for many years and served as the head of the Mathematics Department. Diane was one of those unique teachers who could both challenge those students who excelled at math, and instill confidence in those who did not. She also promoted her values of giving back to the community by being the head of the Community Service Club where she helped students to find joy in supporting local causes that addressed issues from homelessness to climate change.

After retiring from Williams in 2010, Diane went on to pursue her commitment to service as a leader in the local auxiliary of the Child and Family Agency. She supported their many worthy causes by organizing fundraisers such as the annual Author Luncheon and the very popular “Touch a Truck” event. She continued to hone her mathematics skills by writing questions for the National Science Foundation Science Bowl, and she also was a Renaissance woman in that she loved literature and art, and she and her husband, along with their close friends, spent a number of years pursuing her passion for traveling the world.

In addition to her husband, Steve, Diane is survived by three daughters, Jennifer Burke and her husband Christopher of Niantic, Allyson Foerster and her husband Edmund of East Lyme, and Rebecca McCue and her husband Luis Rodriguez of Niantic; her brother and sister-in-law, James and Martha Fanelli of Avon; and her sister and brother-in-law Carol and James Martin of Atlanta, Ga. Diane had six grandchildren, Stephen Burke (Abigail Ettelman), Amanda Burke, Madeline Foerster, Connor Foerster, Luca Rodriguez McCue, Elena Rodriguez McCue; and one great-grandchild, Theodore Burke Ettelman. She was also beloved by her nieces and nephews and their children.

There will be no calling hours. A private burial will be held at St. Mary’s Cemetery, New London. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. April 23, 2022, at the Harkness Chapel at Connecticut College. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to either the National Multiple Sclerosis Society or to the Child and Family Agency of New London. The Thomas Neilan and Sons Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.