Diann was born in Port Arthur, Texas and lived her life in Michigan, New York and now New Mexico.

She earned her B.S. degree in Deaf Education at Eastern Michigan University. She taught deaf students at a Michigan high school for three years while she was also earning her first Masters degree in Education Leadership. Diann started the program for deaf 12-21-year-olds where there hadn't been a teacher for several years.

She loved working with that population and had a very hard time leaving - she only left because her husband Phil was transferred to New York with the Air Force. While living in Utica, New York, Diann was director of a community college program for women returning to either work or school. This was also a favorite job because of the creativity involved; she was able to design curriculum, hire instructors, and implement the program. It was very different from being in the classroom - both exciting and intimidating (especially the being on the radio and TV parts.)

When Phil was transferred to Albuquerque 25 years ago, Diann decided to earn another Masters degree - this time in Speech Language Pathology at UNM. Her first jobs after this degree were a high school Speech Language Pathologist and an elementary school speech and language therapist. Then she was the coordinator for post-secondary learning-disabled students at UNM for a year. This was UNM's first program for learning-disabled students, and Diann enjoyed designing the curriculum, hiring the tutors, and implementing this new service.

However, Diann really wanted to work in the field in which she had just earned her M.S. So she then returned to working with the communication difficulties of the learning-disabled, gifted, emotionally challenged, and Asperger's Syndrome students as a school Speech Language Therapist. She worked with the mid-school population for the next eighteen years and retired in 2008.

Diann loves sharing in her childrens' and grandchildrens' lives. She and Phil use much of their travel time to visit children and grandchildren. Their other travels have taken them to Indonesia, Guatemala, England, Hong Kong, Canada, Alaska, Singapore, and frequently to the Colorado Mountains.

Diann's lifelong hobby has been her yards and gardens. She and Phil take pleasure in the design, hardscape, and plantings for their homes' landscaping. Diann's walks in the BLM and open space help her discover what plants grow indigenously in the area. She then collects grass, flower, and shrub seeds, processes them, and then attempts (and many times succeeds) to germinate the seeds.

Hiking in the open space and finding a newborn wild horse
(Tiny Dancer, on Mother's Day)

Hiking, skiing (downhill and cross-country), boating, and birding have dominated most of Diann's and Phil's recreational/leisure lives.

Hiking at Denali National Park last year in Alaska

A fascination of theirs is "tidepooling." Tide charts give the times that the tide is out the farthest, leaving pools and rocks exposed and teeming with previously submerged sea life. Diann and Phil recently returned from Washington state and found three superior tide pools, each very different from the other. One was on the Pacific and the other two were on the Strait of Juan De Fuca.

Tidepooling with oldest grandson in Monterey

Now that she is retired Diann hopes to have more time for reading, more time and flexibility for family members, keeping up with friends, and house projects.

Diann has the greatest admiration for the physically, educationally and emotionally challenged individuals. The ones that she has known face each day with the most awesome courage and hope.