Diane Sherwood

Diane Sherwood (deceased 2003)

"Ms. Sherwood was a tireless presence in the Interfaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington (IFC), which became a platform after September 11 for members of various faiths - including Judaism, Christianity and Islam - to communicate and conduct missions of mutual understanding.

"For five years, she was the associate director of the IFC and coordinated its annual interfaith concert and the interfaith celebration of the life of Martin Luther King. She appreciated working with people of all faiths.

"It was her dream to lead a pilgrimage to the waters and community of the Anacostia River. The IFC will realize that dream on Labor Day: Her cremated remains will be placed in the Anacostia during a ceremony.

"Ms. Sherwood was co-director of Americans for Paying U.N. Dues in 1997, organizing a grass-roots campaign to lobby for U.S. payment of dues to the United Nations. From 1994 to 1998, she was director of the Global Commission to Fund the United Nations, as she saw that body as an organization for peace and cooperation.

"Ms. Sherwood also was an active board member of Airline Ambassadors, a voluntary humanitarian mission that hand delivers aid to children and families in need around the world.

"She was a producer of the "Celebration of the Universe Story" at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and was program manager of the Institute for International Research from 1991 to 1992. From 1989 to 1991, she was director of communications of the North American Coalition on Religion and Ecology.

"She developed the program for the Intercontinental Conference on Caring for Creation, the Scholarly Symposium on Ethics, the Environment and Global Change, and the Chautauqua Strategy Session on the Earth Summit.

"An active Catholic, she returned to her faith of earlier years more than a decade ago. She found great wisdom, strength and solace during her journey in the Catholic Church while embracing the spirits and the great teachings of all the great life-affirming religions and philosophies.

"Survivors include her sister, Donna Catherine Sherwood-Ventura of Clearwater, Fla.; and her former husband and friend, Ronald C. Smith of Chicago."