Linda Mann Diamond

Born November 28, 1941, in Chicago, IL, she was the only child of John and Irene Watkins Mann. She was raised in Glen Ellyn, IL, and graduated in 1959 from Glenbard (West) High School where she was selected as one of the ten outstanding seniors. She earned both her BA and MA degrees with honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1963 and 1967 respectively. She also studied at the Sorbonne University of Paris, France, and The Ohio State University Graduate School of Education.

Linda married Darrough Blain Diamond of Kankakee, IL, on August 1, 1964, at First Congregational Church in Glen Ellyn. They began their married life in Villa Park, before moving to Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, where Mr. Diamond was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. After his Army service, they moved to Urbana-Champaign to complete their master’s degrees. They settled in Wheaton, IL, and welcomed their two daughters, Laura Lynn Diamond Stillman and Julia True Diamond Cox. In 1977, Mr. Diamond’s profession as a marketing and advertising executive led the family to Upper St. Clair, PA, and in 1980, to Upper Arlington, OH, before Linda and Darrough moved to Clearwater, FL in 1993. They returned to First Community Village in Upper Arlington in September 2022.

Mrs. Diamond was a secondary school social studies teacher in LaGrange, IL, Edgewood, MD, Upper St. Clair, PA, and Columbus, OH before completing her career in Pinellas County, FL, where she taught for fifteen years at Seminole Middle School and then Carwise Middle School, before retiring in 2010. Thousands of students benefited from her bright mind and gracious patience.

She was a member of numerous organizations, often serving as an officer, including Northwood Presbyterian Church in Clearwater, Alpha Delta Pi sorority, Chapters FY and BX of P.E.O., Women Watching Wall Street, and an Adventure Club. She enjoyed traveling, reading, and researching genealogy and was able to trace her ancestral line to Mayflower passenger Richard Warren, and to a signer of the Magna Carta in 1215.

Linda is survived by her husband of 58 years, Darrough Diamond, daughters Laura (Robert) Stillman of Upper Arlington, OH, and Julia (John) Cox of McLean, VA, and grandchildren: Mary Lynn and Allison Stillman, Matthew, Katherine, and Emma Cox.

A Celebration of Life service has been rescheduled for Sunday, January 29, 2023, at 1:30 pm, immediately followed by visitation from 2:30pm - 4:00 pm at Schoedinger Northwest, 1740 Zollinger Road, Columbus, OH 43221. A webcast of the service will be available at https://webcasts.lifetributes.com/1247008 or via www.schoedinger.com. Inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery to follow.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the P.E.O. Foundation, 3700 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312, to help deserving women achieve their educations, or to another charitable organization that holds deep meaning for friends and family who wish to remember Linda in a way that benefits others.

To view Linda's service, click here: https://webcasts.lifetributes.com/1247008