Diane Dunbar
Diane Patricia Donhoff Dunbar passed peacefully to be met by the loving arms of our Lord surrounded by family at her home April 20, 2024. Born in Los Angeles, Calif., on Oct. 11, 1932, and raised by loving parents Wayne and June Donhoff, Mom enjoyed a truly happy childhood with her younger brother Ron and grandparents Fred and Grace Wells.
Slated to be a concert pianist, Mom dashed her parents' dreams by marrying her first love, John Beatty, in December 1949 before the Air Force transferred him out of the area. Their first son, John Richard (Rik), was born in September 1950 and the three were sent to Alaska. Mom loved to recount stories of life in Shemya, the second-to-the-last of the chain of Aleutian Islands. Gary followed in May 1953, born at Donaldson Air Force Base in South Carolina. Retiring from the Air Force, John and Diane returned to Los Angeles where Steven Jay joined the family in August 1956. A daughter, Michelle Diane (Shelley), was born in February 1960 and Lori Patricia completed the family in January 1965.
Mom was known for her wit and humor. She hand-sewed her daughters’ clothes and was known for throwing extravagant birthday parties for her children.
While remaining a loving, doting wife and mother at the age of 39, Mom chose to pursue a career in nursing. After graduating nursing school in 1972 in Glendale, Calif., John and Diane moved their family to Northern California, settling in Redding. Mom enjoyed nursing at area hospitals until a work injury forced an early retirement. She continued her career, however, transferring her passion for caretaking to convalescent homes and home health care.
Outside of work, Mom had an extraordinary passion for gardening. Her yard and gardens were the envy of all. She was a member of The Shasta County Garden Tour, The Audubon Society and The National Wildlife Federation, where her work was acknowledged by several awards and honors.
After 26 years of marriage, John and Diane mutually agreed to part. Having enjoyed a very traditional marriage, Diane had never learned to drive. Now faced with the task of raising her younger daughters, Mom rode her bicycle 7 miles each day to Shasta College to earn a degree in horticulture (not to mention the grocery store, post office and anywhere else she needed to travel), while selling Avon to support her family. After receiving her degree and driver’s license, she immediately obtained a position as manager for a large wholesale garden and met her second love, Zane Dunbar. After years of courtship, Mom consented to marry Zane and she gained a bonus family including son Zane Jr. and daughter Alta Marie (there were no steps in this family). Mom and Zane enjoyed landscaping their acreage with ponds and flower and vegetable gardens including miniature villages. They relaxed by boating at Lake Shasta and Whiskeytown Lake while Mom made miniature doll houses and exquisite homemade cards.
Life was not always kind to Diane, as in 1995 her eldest son, Rik, was diagnosed with a brain tumor and passed away in 1997. This was followed by tragic accidents taking the lives of Gary in 2002 and Steve in 2021 and after a long illness, Alta in 2022. Mom remained strong and never let life's tragedies bring her down. She had a caring, giving heart of gold and could see the good in everyone and everything. Due to illness, her beloved Zane passed in 2005, after which Mom relocated to Moses Lake, Wash., to be closer to her daughter, Lori, and son-in-law Tony, much to their delight, and enjoyed living in the Pacific Northwest. She spent some of her best years surrounded by grandchildren and great-grandchildren who brought her endless joy and laughter. Mom was home.
She was greatly surprised by a large 80th birthday party where family from Idaho, California, Oregon, Nevada and New York came to celebrate her life. She was a member of Peninsula Community Church, The Lunch Bunch, Sit & Knit and The Garden Club, where she met her best friend and cohort in crime, Joan McGee. Diane was an expert knitter and sold her wares at the farmers market as “Diane's Hand Knits” for several years. She contributed to numerous charities such as Saddleback College, where her eldest son Rik has an endowment award for promising students in the art of sculpture; The Humane Society; Crossroads Resource Center, where she took handmade baby booties and snuggies; Serve Moses Lake; and Mary's Place in Seattle with her hand-knitted purses filled with hygiene products and inspirational items to help women and families in need, to name a few. Prior to moving to Moses Lake, Mom knitted cuddly, colorful snakes, filled their mouths with toys and gave them to the police departments to comfort children of domestic violence. Mom was also featured in the Columbia Basin Herald for her knitting and charity work.
Some of Mom's hobbies were playing piano (which she enjoyed her entire life), journaling, knitting, sewing, crafting, gardening, riding her horse Sunday during horseback riding outings with her girls and, later in life, counting white cars. Mom made sure our childhood education included her clear values in manners, etiquette, fine arts, classical music, eloquence and the knowledge of right from wrong.
During her entire life, Mom attended church and instilled in her family a strong belief in our Heavenly Father.
Our mom, grandma, great-grandma, and friend with her optimism and sunny disposition, will forever be missed.
Diane was met by the loving arms of Jesus and her sons John Richard, Gary Michael and Steven Jay Beatty; parents Wayne and June Donhoff; brother Ron Donhoff; daughter Alta Thompson; and husband Zane W. Dunbar.
Diane is survived by two daughters Shelley (Grant) Long Fehlman and Lori (Tony) Garro; 10 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; son Zane (Debbie) Dunbar; sister-in-law Terry Donhoff; son-in-law Mike Thompson; daughter-in-law Maryanne (Rik Beatty) Thomas; and several nephews and numerous nieces who looked to her as a mom.
Diane's family would like to thank the emergency room personnel, doctors, nurses and staff at Samaritan Hospital; Assured Hospice; Kayser's Funeral Home; Peninsula Community Church; and Mom's hairdresser Kayla; and an enormously huge thank-you to Jodi and everyone at Avamere for their kindness, knowledge, professionalism, comfort, know-how and going that extra mile and beyond in the care of our mom with gentleness and dignity. We can never thank you enough!
A celebration of Mom’s life will be held at Peninsula Community Church, 2403 W. Texas St. Moses Lake, Wash., on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 1 p.m.
Mom’s final resting place will be alongside her husband Zane in Winema Cemetery in Weed, Calif.
If a donation would be preferred in lieu of flowers, please consider donating to The Diane Dunbar Nursing Scholarship, C/O Big Bend Community College Foundation, 7662 Chanute St. NE, Moses Lake, WA 98837; The Rik Beatty Memorial Art Endowment, C/O Saddleback College Foundation, 28000 Marguerite Pkwy, AGB 131, Mission Viejo, CA 92692; or the charity of your choice. If you knew Mom, you would know to "tell them Grandma said!"
Diane Patricia Donhoff Dunbar passed peacefully to be met by the loving arms of our Lord surrounded by family at her home April 20, 2024.