DIANE MARIE (Troia) ESCHRICH

     DIANE MARIE ESCHRICH           Sunrise October 3, 1958      Sunset January 4, 2025

     We celebrate the life and legacy of Diane Marie Eschrich of Browns Mills, NJ who was welcomed into the Kingdom of Eternal Peace on 1/4/2025. Her unexpected earthly departure has left an immeasurable void in the lives of all who knew and loved her dearly. She is greatly missed and will be remembered for her warm smile, generous heart, and amazing spirit. She was 66 years old.

     Diane was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY to Joyce Troia (Vivona), Deceased) and Frank Troia on October 3, 1958. She graduated from Sheepshead Bay High School in Brooklyn in 1976, where she was a member of the swim team, a self-taught guitar player, and a member of the folk group. She relocated to Browns Mills, NJ in the late 1970s, and resided there for over 40 years. She became well known in the community and worked for the North Hanover School District before her retirement.

     Diane became the devoted wife of her childhood best friend, Robert J. Eschrich, on January 9,1979. They had known each other since they were 8 years old and grew up in Brooklyn together. Robert worked a paper route when he was 16 years old to save money to buy her an engagement ring. Diane assumed the role of Robert’s primary care giver as he battled end stage renal failure over the last 8 years of her life and made it her life’s mission to find him a kidney donor. Even though she did not get to see him receive a kidney, there is no doubt that she is still his guardian angel and is still holding on to the hope he will receive this life saving gift.

     Their 46-year marriage and love story will transcend time and will last an eternity. We would all be so lucky to find a love as powerful and beautiful as theirs. She was an angel on earth with a heart of absolute gold, whose giving nature was evident even in her passing, as she was a registered organ donor. She was selfless in every way and put everyone’s wellbeing before her own.

     After relocating to Browns Mills, together her and Robert began their family. She and Robert raised 3 children whom they loved very much and were immensely proud of (Donna (Amoscato), Robert Jr, and Joseph). Her family grew with the addition of two daughters-in-laws, Brittiny and Ashley, and son-in-law Martin, whom she treated as if they were her own biological children.

     Diane wanted to become a grandmother more than anything, and her family grew with the addition of her 7 grandchildren (Emily, Mia, Alanna, Joseph Jr., Lucy, Elizabeth, and Jessica). She loved being a mother, but her role as grandmother brought even more immense joy to her life. She doted on every one of her grandchildren and enjoyed their visits and the time they spent with her building everlasting memories. She loved their daily phone calls, pictures and letters they would write to her, their recitals and events, but most of all their hugs and kisses. They made every moment of her life special, and she loved them with every ounce of her being.

     Diane loved anything Disney. She took many trips to Disney World and several Disney cruises with Robert and her family. She met many of her closest friends through her love for Disney. Her favorite Disney movie was Lilo and Stitch because of the message, “Ohana” which means family, and her family was so very important to her. Disney really was the happiest place on earth for her and she often booked her next vacation, before she finished enjoying the one she was on. She also loved concerts, especially Donnie Osmond, Lady Gaga, and Taylor Swift. She enjoyed meeting with her brothers and their spouses, Vincent (Kim) and Frank Jr. (Sharon), to play guitar together, visiting with her mother Joyce and father Frank Sr. to have lunch, speaking to her brother Keith and his wife Lisa on the phone, visits from her sister-in-law Barbara, and vacationing with her family and her friends. She loved her nieces and nephews (Amanda, Nicole, Vincent Jr., Kaitlyn, Allison, and Kyle) and her many cousins, aunts, uncles and other family members whom she would keep in touch with regularly. She was the best letter writer, and everyone would comment on how articulate and how beautiful her handwriting was. Everyone enjoyed receiving her letters. She was considered a second mother to several close friends of her children and opened her heart and home to them always. Lastly, she forged lifelong friendships with those she met and left an indelible mark on their lives forever. Family meant everything to Diane, and she will be loved and missed by so many.

     A Celebration of Life, Memorial Mass will take place at St. Ann’s Church, 22 Trenton Rd., Browns Mills, NJ 08015 on May 23, 2025, Friday at 5:00 PM where she was a devoted parishioner.  A visit to her favorite hiking trail in Historic Smithville Park will follow. Her ashes will be interred at St. Mary’s cemetery in Barnegat, NJ on Saturday, May 24, 2025.

     In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that a donation be made to the American Kidney Foundation in her honor and to continue to advocate for a kidney donation for her beloved husband Robert. #Robertneedsakidney

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