Published on: Thursday, July 08, 2010

Diane C.(Tardif) Cantor, 58, of Dunedin FL died June 19, 2010, at St Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta GA. She suffered an aortic dissection five days earlier.

Diane was a former resident of Montgomery County MD and also had a second home with her husband at Lake Oconee near Eatonton GA.

She was born on February 6, 1952, in Washington D. C., daughter of Joseph Ray Tardif and Shirley Dunahoo Tardif. She was the eldest of 4 children.

Growing up in a U. S. Air Force family, Diane attended schools in France, Germany, the Netherlands and the U. S. She graduated from Wheaton (MD) High School where she was a cheerleader. She received a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 1974 majoring in Occupational Therapy. She was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. After college, she lived in Gaithersburg MD and for a time was employed as a realtor and a flight attendant with TWA.

She married Neil J. Cantor in 1978 and the couple eventually settled in Dunedin FL. Their son "N. Jay" was born in 1985. She was an active volunteer at the schools her son attended. She briefly operated her own business in Florida before becoming a full-time homemaker with her family at their Gulf Coast residence. She was a fitness enthusiast and enjoyed skiing and roller-coaster adventures with her son. She loved traveling with her family around the United States and abroad. She also participated in local gourmet and book clubs. She enjoyed entertaining at her home, and was known to her family and friends as an excellent cook.

Survivors include her husband Neil J. Cantor of Dunedin FL, son Neil J. Cantor II of Orlando FL, mother Shirley Tardif of Millsboro DE, father Joseph R. Tardif and stepmother Claudette Tardif of Englewood FL, brother Philip Tardif of Atlanta GA, sister Ginette Tardif Evans and her husband Daniel of Bluffton SC, stepbrothers James Bergeron of Madawaska Me and Gary Bergeron of Port Charlotte FL, stepsister Jennifer Pfeiffer and her husband James of Ellenton FL, and several aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a brother, Roger Tardif, in 1993.

Funeral services were arranged by the Segal Funeral Home of Tampa FL and held June 23 at Temple Ahavat Shalom in Palm Harbor FL. Burial was at Curlew Hills Memory Gardens in Palm Harbor. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, P. O. BOX 21475, St Petersburg FL 33742. Online guest book at segalfuneralhome.com. Segal Funeral Home, Beth David Chapel, Tampa FL, (813)874-3330)