We dedicate this issue of the BITE to Dianna Funnell, beloved member of the wine and spirits community in Edmonton. Dianna was a fine wine specialist at Willow Park when she died of a heart attack last week. “Dianna was an artist and she had a way of translating a wine’s profile into a sensory experience beyond the usual adjectives,” says Juanita Roos, Color de Vino. “She saw beauty in everything. Her family, her boys, and especially her new grandbabies were her biggest joys in life. They called her Gigi and she had an endless stream of new baby photos to share. I will miss her kindness, she saw the best in everything and everyone. She left us far too soon.”
From working in her family’s import agency, to a long career at Sherbrooke Liquor and Color de Vino, Dianna made wine fun for legions of friends, customers and colleagues. But it’s behind the bar Dianna felt most at home, at the original Bibo in Mill Creek and hosting somm pop-ups at Little Wolf.
Dianna was an original, we will miss her irrepressible joy and her unique take on things. It’s impossible to believe that we will not have a laugh together, or meet up to see a play, or share a glass of something delicious. Dianna, we miss you.
Justine Chambers photo
