Diane was born on November 5, 1940, in McPherson, KS, to Lloyd Cornelius and Maurine Maxine (Peterson) Stockham. She grew up on a farm in nearby Conway, KS, graduated from McPherson High and McPherson College, and embarked on a career as a schoolteacher, sometimes teaching in one-room Mennonite schools on the Kansas prairie.
She met her high school sweetheart, Robert Eugene Mattingly, when she sat on his lap on the way to look at a car wreck. They were married June 4, 1960. Six years later, son Michael Lloyd came along, and then on their anniversary in 1969, daughter Mindy Diane was born. Diane was a longtime resident of the Kansas City area, mostly in Kearney and Liberty. After retiring from teaching, she served as the secretary at Earnest Shepherd Memorial Youth Center for several years, and then she worked in mortgage lending until retirement. Her husband Bob passed away in 1992.
Diane was a loyal friend, and a loving, proud, and involved mother and grandmother. Her grandchildren were the joy and the light of her life, and the feeling was mutual. She was also a beloved sister, cousin, aunt, step-sister, and sister-in-law, as well as a champion for the underdog. She was a caring and careful listener, and she made us all laugh. Diane loved children, always showing interest in their lives and their ideas; she made them feel special. She was an artist, a musician, a prolific Facebook friend, and an avid enthusiast of puns and memes. She loved Christmas, especially her army of Santas, elves, and gnomes that populated her home in December. She bought the best gifts, baked the best bread, and made the best potato salad. She remembered everyone’s birthday and had zero reservations about making her opinions known to whoever needed to hear them. She loved the beach, and after retirement, spent several winters in Panama City Beach, FL with her longtime companion, Larry Dooley. She enjoyed nature, fishing, and gardening, and would spend hours outside on the patio with a cup of coffee watching the birds and the world go by.
Diane is preceded in death by her parents Lloyd and Maurine Stockham, step-mother Jeanette Geiman Stockham, husband Robert Mattingly, brothers Gerald Wayne, Steven Lloyd, and Norman Neil Stockham, longtime companion Larry Dooley, and grandson Logan Robert Uhrig. She missed them all terribly.
Survivors include son Mike Mattingly, of Liberty, MO; daughter Mindy Mattingly Uhrig (Karl) of Kent, OH; grandson Jon-Mikl Mattingly of KC, MO; granddaughters Melaina and Greta Uhrig of Kent, OH; sisters-in-law Donna Smith (David) of McPherson KS, Marcia Stockham of Manhattan, KS, Trudy Stockham of Norton, KS, and Pauline Stockham of Roeland Park, KS; step-sisters Janet Helms (Larry) and Jackie Bohnenblust (Fred), all of McPherson, KS; and an impressive number of very beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Gravesite services will be held in McPherson, KS sometime next summer. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to your own favorite local charity for animals or children.
Diane, you were extraordinary in all the ways that matter most. Until that day when we see you on the other side, your legacy of love and friendship will help us to be strong and remind us to take care of each other. Well done, good and faithful servant; it is time for you to rest in peace and love.
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