Diane DiGennaro, dance fitness expert, dies at 71

Diane DiGennaro, 71, of Plainsboro, passed away on August 20, 2025. Daughter of the late Vincent Frank DiGennaro, sister in law of the late Jai Singh Khalsa, she is survived by her mother Barbara Sand DiGennaro, and 3 sisters and 2 brothers in law, Siri Ram Khalsa, Barbara and Jeff Drasher, Janet and Jerry Calianno, 3 aunts and 1 uncle Jeanne Hesse, Janet Gaglione and Emanuella D’Angelo, Frank DiGennaro nieces and nephews and their spouses, Jennifer and Heath Hartwell, Jeffrey and Kaitlyn Drasher, Jacob Drasher, Vincent Calianno, Joseph Calianno, Harishabd Khalsa and Kelly Molloy, Kartapurkh Khalsa and Justin Borg, and Ami Khalsa and Chris Diaz, and great nephew and great niece Judson and Vivian Hartwell.

Born in Englewood, NJ and raised in Bergenfield, NJ, Diane spent several years in the Northwest, eventually residing most of her life in Princeton and Plainsboro. She worked for many years as a Corporate Travel Consultant with American Express Global Business Travel. Diane was also a well known Nia Dance Fitness Instructor teaching in Princeton for decades at Princeton Nautilus, Princeton Fitness and New York Sports Club and through her dedication helped many practitioners more fully connect with their body, mind and soul.

Diane will be remembered as a genuine, intelligent, kind and compassionate person who loved the beauty of nature, especially trees. She will be dearly missed by her family and friends and all whose lives she touched in the Princeton community.

The Funeral Service will be held 6 p.m. on Wednesday, August 27 at the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home 40 Vandeventer Avenue, Princeton. A visitation will be held from 5:00 pm until the time of the service at the funeral home.