Diane E Paar

A most beloved wife, mother and grandmother and devout Catholic, Diane spent her early years in Mobile, Alabama. Later her family moved to Dayton, Ohio where she completed her education at Julienne, an all-female Catholic high school. She worked her way through to pay for- and graduated from the University of Dayton with a degree in Education. After graduation, she taught 4th grade at a Polish Catholic school until she married and became a stay at home mom.

In the early 1970s, the family moved to Fort Walton Beach, Florida after which Diane was an elementary school substitute teacher before changing to customer service at a local bank. She moved on to become a Contract Specialist at Hurlburt AFB at which she served for many years until retirement. In 2015, after being widowed 8 years, she moved to Falls Church, VA to live near her daughter and family.

Diane enjoyed cooking, baking, sewing, reading, shopping, music, and thoroughly enjoyed watching Science and True Crime stories. A devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, she will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her.

Diane was preceded in death by her husband Leonard William Paar; her sister, Judith Berning; and infant grandson, Mark Robert. She is survived by her only child, Laurel Ruland and son-in-law, James Ruland; grandson, Mitchell James; grandson, Max Everett and granddaughter-in-law, Anna; great grandson, Everett Alexander.

A funeral mass will be held on Thursday, August 21, 2025 at 10:00AM at Saint James Catholic Church, 905 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046. Burial following the mass will be private for immediate family only.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Diane’s favorite charity: Little Sisters of the Poor in Pittsburgh, PA: www.littlesistersofthepoorpittsburgh.org.