' The controversy over Wilsey's non-resignation is the through line of the Times profile, but there are a number of other gems from Holson's lunch visit with Wilsey at her Napa Valley estate, as . We have a number of family portraits, of my grandparents and my mother, and pieces of furniture I grew up with in various houses, he says. var o = {}; }); Formerly married to John Traina, who went on to marry Danielle Steel after Dede Wilsey married Al. Although the exact amount she has donated over the years is not known, Wilsey helped bring in more than $200 million to rebuild the, lthough her role as a member of the board has her at the museum several days of the week, she looks at the de Young with childlike wonder. The difference is that the world is so much more complicated. + 'Thank you for subscribing!' slideInModal('Down'); From 1979 to 1982, she was the society columnist for the San Francisco Examiner. . Everybody you can imagine. return ctx.regex.email.test( $email.val() ); It was just magical. And she relishes the process that comes with each new exhibit. Diane "Dede" Wilsey. pagetype = document.querySelector('meta[property="og:type"]').getAttribute("content"), . //after successful signup, hide the signup bar after 5 seconds e.preventDefault(); closeSignupBar(); contentType: 'application/json; charset=UTF-8', Feature Stories, News, One On One, Philanthropy. timeout: 10000 By continuing to use our sites and applications, you agree to our use of cookies. She and Wilsey were fixtures on the social axes of San Francisco and Napa Valley, where they maintained a country house. return; I believe in the power of art to inspire and connect us. From left: Dede and Al Wilsey in 2001, Cissie Swig in 1992, Frances and John Bowes in 1995; Sharon Owsley in 1993 | San Francisco Examiner via Library of Congress The home saw an addition by Crabb in the 1880s and a near total rebuild after a devastating fire more than a century later, in 1997. Her universal generosity to the arts, schools, local . We spend our weekends tinkering with old cars. + '<\/div>' + '