She was born on May 24, 1956 to Charles Leslie Greene and Marilyn Leona (McCarty) Greene in Kansas City, Missouri. Despite a life-long struggle with mental illness, learning disabilities and other health issues, including diabetes, she maintained a cheerful attitude and worked hard to accomplish what she could.
She graduated from Center High School in 1974, where she enjoyed playing her flute in the marching band. She considered Mr. Don Schaeffer a mentor who said she “played the best low notes”.
She attended Penn Valley Community College for one year and graduated from Central Missouri State University in 1981 with a B.S. in Early Childhood Education. While her challenges prevented a typical career, she managed to work briefly for a church daycare and a sheltered workshop. She volunteered at the Kaleidoscope Children’s Art program and later delivered flowers to patients at St. Joseph Medical Center once earning “volunteer of the month”.
Diane is best known for writing poems beginning in grade school and throughout her life. She would often be inspired to write for a specific occasion or holiday with the goal of bringing a smile to each person’s face. Her generosity was expressed in many ways, including donating food to the local food pantry. Growing up in a Scout family, she was very proud of the many merit badges and awards that she earned including God and Country, which fostered her deep patriotic spirit. In earlier adult years, she took dancing lessons with Betty Tillotson, and earned several perfect attendance trophies that she proudly displayed in her room where she visited the family on weekends. She was most proud of maintaining her own apartment.
Diane most recently attended the First Baptist Church where the family first started out and its Wilson/Cross-Generation Sunday School class. She continually strived to build her faith by reading her Bible and attending several different churches along the way.
She was preceded in death by her father, Charles Leslie Greene, and all of her grandparents: Lottie Mildred and Charles Oscar Greene; Leona Ellen Winkelman McCarty and William Henry McCarty; her Aunt Norene June (Greene) King and David King, Aunt Jolora Jean (McCarty) Culbertson and William (Bill) Culbertson and cousins Mary Luellen, Wayne and Albert Culbertson.
She is survived by her mother, Marilyn Leona (McCarty) Greene, sisters Janice M. Greene and Alice E. (Greene) Boinski and brother-in-law R. “Mike” Boinski; cousins Martha, Bill “Will” and Jim Culbertson; Bonnie (King) Zimmerman, Kathy (King) Beauchamp (Bo), Paul King (Pam) and Mike King (Julie).
A service will be held at the First Baptist Church, 100 West Red Bridge Road on August 13 at 2 p.m. with visitation beginning at 1 p.m. Interment will immediately follow at Mount Moriah Cemetery South.
Memorial donations can be made to First Baptist Church, 100 West Red Bridge Road, Kansas City, MO 64114 or to the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI): P.O. Box 49104, Baltimore, MD 21297. Thank you.
