Diane received her bachelor's degree in education (1963) and her master's degree in special education with an emphasis in physical disabilities (1966) from the University of Kansas, and the Ed.D. in Special Education from the University of Kentucky (1971). 

Diane is remembered for her work at the Arizona Department of Education, as a faculty member in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University, and as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children (CASA).

Diane worked with programs for exceptional children at the University of Kansas Medical Center, in Seattle, and in Cincinnati before coming to Arizona in 1975. While at the Arizona Department of Education, she served as the Associate State Director and the Director of Federal Programs for Special Education.

After retiring from ADE, she organized the curriculum for early childhood special education programs at Arizona State University, teaching undergraduate and graduate students at the West and Tempe campuses.

She participated in one of the first delegations from the United States to collaborate with special educators in China. She was a member of Arizona State University's Choral Union Ensemble and enjoyed theatre and symphony events in the Phoenix area.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her daughter and her brother. She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law and multiple nieces and nephews. 

Memorials to honor Diane's life work can be made to the Foundation for Blind Children online at SeeItOurWay.org or by mail at 1234 East Northern Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85020. Due to current health concerns, family and friends will gather privately to honor Diane's life.