ST. TAMMANY PARISH, LA. 

Obituary for: DIAMOND, EMILY

Submitted by: Louis Lavedan. 

Source: The St. Tammany News, St. Tammany, La.

Published on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 

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DIAMOND

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Born Nov. 25, 1921 to Daniel Independence and Edna Josephine Glossbrenner; died 
peacefully Sept. 16, 2011, in Robbinsville, N.C. 

She was 89. 

Emily was raised in Indianapolis, Ind., and attended Swarthmore College and 
Indiana University. 
She married Dr. Jack Robert Diamond Oct, 16, 1942, and unsuccessfully contested 
a difficult divorce which became final in 1962. 
Jack preceded her in death Feb. 4, 1998. 
A resident of Covington for 50 years, Emily also lived in Indianapolis, Ind.; 
Batavia, Ohio; Pewee Valley, Ky; Boerne, Texas; Covington; and most recently 
Robbinsville. 

Her children are Dr. Daniel and June (Sorg) Diamond, Dr. Kathryn Lynch, 
Robbinsville; Susan Diamond, Portland, Ore., Jessie Diamond, Portland, David 
and Debra (Wilson) Diamond, Covington, Stanley and Pamela (Roberts) Diamond, 
Martinsville, Ind., and James ŇJedÓ Diamond and Maria Gillen, Knoxville, Tenn. 
She has 17 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

The Diamonds moved into Covington in June, 1959. Emily was St PeterŐs Catholic 
School Mother of the Year in 1963. She taught third grade at CovingtonŐs 
Rosenwald Elementary School in Covington in 1967, at the time an all-black 
school as St. Tammany schools were not integrated until 1968. 
She was the receptionist and executive secretary in the St. PaulŐs High School 
office from 1964 to 1967, and she taught kindergarten in Madisonville from 1970 
to 1975.

EmilyŐs teaching experience at the Rosenwald school afforded her social 
acceptance within CovingtonŐs black community at a time when social interaction 
among blacks and whites was severely limited. As a founding member of the 
Community Relations Council of Greater Covington (CRCGC) formed in 1968, Emily 
responded to the fact that very few black citizens in St. Tammany could secure 
any type of loans other than automobile financing by co-founding and serving as 
the first secretary of the CRCGC Federal Credit Union. She managed the Credit 
Union from its founding in 1969 and continued to serve on the Credit Union 
Board until 1985.

Deeply grieved by housing conditions among CovingtonŐs poorest families, Emily 
was also instrumental in the formation of the Habitat for Humanity Chapter in 
Covington. The Covington chapter was designated as the 10th Affiliate at the 
Habitat International Convention in November, 1981. Emily served as president 
of the Covington Habitat Chapter for four years and on the board for 17 years. 
She started and managed the Habitat Restore in Covington. The Covington Habitat 
Chapter created the Emily Diamond Habitat for Humanity Community in 1986. She 
received the Angels Among Us Volunteer Award 1995 and the St Tammany Parish 
Chamber of Commerce Community Volunteer Award.

A memorial service will be held in Covington.

The date for the service is yet to be determined. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent to Habitat for Humanity St. 
Tammany West, 1400 North Lane, Mandeville, LA 70471.

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