Daphne U. Dial - Hughes

It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of our beloved mom, Daphne Ursula Dial-Hughes, age 89, who passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 15th, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. Daphne lived a full and meaningful life, leaving behind a legacy of love and devotion.

Daphne was born on August 6th, 1935, in Berbice, Guyana, to Regina and Cyril Christiani. She briefly attended a convent school in Jamaica, where she lived with her dad. Upon his death, she returned to Guyana, continued her education and graduated as a trained teacher. She taught on the Essequibo Coast, Guyana, for many years alongside her husband, the late Udho Dial, who was a Headteacher, and with whom she had 6 children.

Daphne was a dedicated teacher with a long, successful career until she migrated to the United States in 1984. She loved children which was evident even in her final days, when showing her photos and videos of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren brightened her at times when she was not feeling well. Daphne had a great love for music. The music never stopped playing and she never stopped moving her feet and shoulders to the beat, even towards her last days when she was no longer mobile, and movement became increasingly limited.

In 1994 Daphne was remarried to the late Trevor Hughes until his passing in June 2023. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with dementia in 2015. It was a long battle which she fought with strength and courage, finding joy and the will to live through the endless love and support of her loved ones. We have been blessed to have her in our lives and thank God for the way she has enriched our lives with her boundless nurturing love and compassion, and for her uplifting guidance and values. 

An adoring mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Daphne’s greatest joy came from her family. She will forever be lovingly remembered and sadly missed by her surviving children – Roxanne, Sandra, Sharon, Andre, Shaun and Oneil; step-daughter Annmarie Hughes; her grandchildren – Maritza, Oliver, Allister, Shanna, Jeremy, Zachary, Daniel, Amanda, Emily, Aidan, Raul, Mateo, Brandon, Dylan and Keren; her great-grandchildren – Hayden, Callen, Ryan, Shiloh, Charley, Gabriel, Elekai and Asher; her sons-in-law – Nazim and Raymond; her daughters-in-law – Vera, Katherine and Marcelle; step-daughter-in-law Patty and her granddaughter-in-law – Amber. Daphne was the sister of Julie Shaw, Shirley Baptiste, Nelise Rayman, Celestine Chung, Veronica Singh, Bernadette Carrega, and the late Ann Bannister; sister-in-law of the late Ally Shah, the late Harold Baptiste, the late Hilton Chung, Nadir Rayman, Aubrey Carrega, Gary Bannister, the late Chandrawattie Seeram, the late Indrawattie Dyal, the late Maywattie Dyal, and Sorojini Abass; aunt of Marlon, Cher, Wilson, Keith, Michelle, Adrian, Michael, Raff, Donna, Natalie, Brian, Gregory, Nicholas, Christopher, Samantha, Alan, Savita, Anand, the late Visham, Suresh, and Kiran; and cousin of Myrtle, Leena, and others. 

God bless and keep you, Mom, in everlasting peace and happiness.