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and a wonderful friend.
Since this beautiful young lady was not Jewish, but Irish (her father Joseph McGuern was an Irishman and her mother Clara was the first white woman born in Bremerton, Washington), Josef was reluctant to pursue this friendship too seriously. He was very concerned that his mother would be unhappy if he should ever develop a serious relationship with a "Gentile." Nevertheless, he did keep in touch with the lovely young Irish lass for the next six years while he was busy attending the University, working nights and weekends, and attending Naval cadet night school, and pursuing his law degree. Meanwhile, Violett entered the Miss Seattle beauty pagent where she was the runner up (undoubtedly through the judges' error). She was also becoming quite successful in her own working career. After Josef graduated from law school in 1931, he began dating his Irish lass more regularly ... although still a bit apprehensive about what his mother might think. But then one day, Josef was flabbergasted to hear his mother ask him: "Yoselle (the name by which she always called him), why don't you marry 'Wiolett'?" Josef nearly fainted. Upon receiving this important reassurance, Josef and Violett began to make plans to get married. Unable to find a Rabbi who would perform the ceremony in the Jewish Temple, they were married by a Justice of the Peace in Tacoma, with their parents present. And so it was that in the fall of 1932, Josef Diamond and his Irish bride Violett McGuern became husband and wife. Josef's parents were pleased with the marriage, but Violett's parents were not especially happy about her marrying a Jew. Violett had been patient and understanding as Josef worked many long hours to get established in his law practice. When they got married, Josef was earning only $100 per month and Violett was earning $200 per month. Although she had not gone to college, she had worked her way up to the number two position with the Seattle Credit Bureau, reporting directly to the president of the firm. From the very beginning of their marriage, things went wonderfully well for Josef and Violett. They moved into a home on Queen Anne Hill, and Josef loved his family and thoroughly enjoyed his law practice. After they had been married about 25-years, something came up which required Josef to make a business trip to the Island of Truk to settle a legal matter for one of his clients and he was unable to take Violett with him on this trip. When he returned, she said to him: "Do you know what I did while you were gone? ... I converted to Judaism." Then she explained that she had asked Rabbi Raphael Levine to do this, and he said that he could not do it. So, she asked Rabbi Singer and he advised her: "You will have to study up on it" and he gave her four books to read. Violett looked at the books and told the Rabbi that she had already read three of the books. So, Rabbi Singer said: "You are better Jew than Joe ever was ..." and so when Josef got back, Violett was converted to Judaism. Violett passed away on September 4, 1979. Reflecting on their marriage, Josef declares: "I could never have found a more wonderful wife than Violett was to me. We lived together for forty seven years without a problem between us. We raised two fine children, each of whom had two children of their own. All of them are great ... they are all college graduates and very successful." As a loving tribute to her memory, Josef constructed a building on the ship-canal near Seattle Pacific University bearing the name, The Violett Building. The architect for the project shared a special insight into Josef's heart, observing that most clients think first and foremost about their dollars ... how much everything is going to cost. However, when Josef was interviewing potential architects for this project, he made a wonderful request. "His objective was that the building in its quality of materials and its quality of design be worthy of having his wife's name on it." Reflecting his special kind of quiet humor, with typically mild understatement Josef mentioned to the architect: "We do have some ability to help you with the layout of the parking."
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