Diane L Hanger

Diane Lewis Hanger passed away peacefully at her home in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA on December 19th, 2023, with her family by her side. Diane was born in Carmel in 1933 to Lew and Merle Lewis. Her parents were early residents of the village, beginning their married life there in the early 1900s. Her father was a builder by trade, a few of his Carmel homes still stand today. She often said her childhood was idyllic, and claimed as a girl she’d climbed every oak tree in Carmel. She graduated from Carmel High School in 1951, then earned an AA in History at MPC. In 1954 she married Gail Roy Fraties, the son of another long-time Carmel family.

Diane lived a life of real adventure. Gail’s early career in foreign trade took them overseas, first to Australia and later Venezuela. During those years they welcomed four daughters into their family. Diane thrived in her role as wife and mother, seeking out and celebrating the unique beauty and special qualities of each place she lived. This became a lifelong practice that would bring her joy and satisfaction throughout her 90 years. In 1964, Diane and Gail returned to the States and lived again briefly in California, before moving the family to Juneau, Alaska. Over the next decade they raised their family there, enjoying Alaska for all its wild experiences and bountiful riches. Diane loved to fish, gather berries, and cook using local ingredients. These recipes became the basis for the first of many recipe books that she would publish to share with family and friends.

The late 1970s brought a new chapter for Diane as she moved to Hawaii with her youngest daughter. She again fully embraced the beauty of her new life, and her love for the Hawaiian Islands became the backdrop for future novels. While in Hawaii, she reunited with an old friend from Carmel, Bruce Hanger. Diane eventually returned to California, and in 1983 they were married. Diane and Bruce spent their early marriage in Sunnyvale, where Diane opened a successful word processing company, WordFlow. Fierce Forty-Niner fans, Diane and Bruce were season ticket holders for many years, and witnessed “The Catch” from their seats on the 50-yard-line. After retirement, she and Bruce returned to Carmel, and visited all fifty states, driving across the United States countless times. They enjoyed living in Venice, Florida briefly and traveled internationally to many countries, most notably a trip to Italy in 2010 where they hosted a family reunion for their entire extended family. Their travels were rich with experiences, but on each return they always declared Carmel the most beautiful place on earth.

Diane’s lifelong accomplishments were considerable. She was an accomplished pianist, and her music was in the background of her family's lives. She learned Spanish while in Caracas and could easily converse in the language over her lifetime. She was a lifelong birdwatcher; no adventure was complete without her bird guides and life list. Always a talented writer, she wrote and published two novels and several publications including “Carmel’s Heroes,” which honored the sons of Carmel lost in WWII (her beloved brother Carlyle among them). In her later years, she returned to Carmel and lived peacefully in the embrace of her family and friends. She didn’t look back with any regrets, or forward with any requirements. She was satisfied with her life and happy, and would tell you so. Her mind remained bright and active to her last day, and her memory was always the best in the room. To have a conversation with Diane, even at 90, was to learn.

Her greatest role to many was as the beloved matriarch of her family. In April 2023, her family came to Carmel to celebrate her 90th birthday. To know Diane was to know that her favorite color was yellow, and this gathering, like so many others, had yellow at its center. To all, her continuing joy of life, even in simply watching her beloved birds at the feeders, was apparent. Diane had a beautiful soul and an intelligent, joyful, laughing spirit, and she will be deeply missed.

Diane leaves behind: daughter Valerie Graber (Max), grandchildren Steve (Katie),(great-granddaughter Isla), Corey (Josh), (great-grandchildren Lane, Libby, Maisy), Robin (great-grandsons Miles, Lennon); daughter Jessica Frame (John), grandchildren Bria (William), Theron; daughter Cynthia Jacobson (Tony), grandchildren Kirsten (Josh) (great-grandson Nick), Nikki (Chris) (great-granddaughter Izzy), Toni (Ben); daughter Lucinda Henry (Kendall), grandchildren Dion (Chelsea) (great-granddaughter Sophia), Jacob (Alicia), Betsy, Diane, as well as other beloved extended family members. She was preceded in death by parents Lew and Merle Lewis, siblings Carlyle, June and Doris, and husbands Gail Roy Fraties and Bruce Banks Hanger III.

Donations in Diane’s memory can be made to the Carmel High School Foundation, Class of 1951 Scholarship.