Children have blessed Hiscoe with a lifetime of memories

By Doug Dickinson
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Diane Hiscoe is a Houlton mom who was born and raised in the town. She had four brothers and a sister, and she describes her childhood as typical for growing up in Houlton. Diane’s mom kept her and her siblings busy with tennis, swimming lessons, guitar lessons, and going to the playground.
    She met her husband, George, by working for his mother at Dixie Lee.
    “He came in one time to get something to eat and I thought ‘hmm, I like that guy.” said Hiscoe.
Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Doug Dickinson
Houlton’s Diane Hiscoe reflects on the blessings of being a mother.
    Diane has had four children and one stepson. Erica is her oldest child and is living in China teaching English. Chris, her second child, unfortunately passed away from a heart condition when he was 14. Diane’s next oldest is Sam, who is a full-time student at the University of Maine in Presque Isle. He works at Katahdin Trust Company Operations Center. Her youngest child is Hannah, who is currently studying at Indiana Wesleyan. She works at The Taste of China as a waitress when she’s home.
    Diane says that her children have always gone out of their way to bless her.
    “When I was down in Bangor taking care of my dad I got a message from Sam that he and my daughters  had bought me a front-end load washer. I just didn’t expect it,” Diane said. “They called it an Early Mother’s Day present. They’re just always doing something that totally blesses me.”
    Diane also got a special present from one of her kids this past Christmas when her daughter Erica surprised her by coming home from China for the holidays.
    “All I wanted was for all my kids to be home for Christmas and try to make it a really good Christmas for everyone. And she wasn’t supposed to be able to come,” Diane said. “I checked her bank account and everything. I said ‘George she didn’t buy a ticket’ and she knew I’d do that. I tried not to. I tried so hard not to snoop. I couldn’t take the stress of it all. But she did it with cash and it was a big surprise.”
    Diane is also excited about her son’s upcoming marriage to Kari Brewer.
    “We love our future daughter-in-law. She’s wonderful. She’s going to be a great asset to our family. Her family’s great. It helps that she’s a believer as well. That’s what I was worried about. They put God first, and they’ll do great.”
    When raising her children, the main thing Diane tried to teach her kids was to treat others with kindness.
    “One of the things I was trying to teach them was to treat others like they would like to be treated themselves. And that’s not easy when you’re growing up. I remember one time going to school and someone was dressed a little differently and the kids made fun of them as we were pulling in to drop them off,” she said.
    “We talked about it. What if that person was having a bad day. You could make a difference. And I said find someone today that you don’t normally talk to and be nice to that person. Just say ‘hi.’ I think it’s very important to treat others how you want to be treated. And I think all my children do that.”
    According to Diane, the best thing about being a mother is seeing your child that first time.
    “Seeing their face for the first time is probably the most precious thing. Seeing them for the first time has to be the most special moment of your life,” she said.
    Another thing that Diane cherishes as a mother is seeing her kids live Christian lives.
    “When each one accepted the Lord on their own, and we found out about it [we] prayed with them when they did. It just helps a mom to be able to release them later on in life because you know they made that choice.”
    When asked what the biggest benefit of being a mom is, Diane is quick to reply.
    “Unconditional love from your kids. You don’t even have to do anything and they just love you.”