Diane Pawlik

Diane was born in Shreveport, LA to James Christie and Marilyn Odom on May 11th, 1942. She graduated from Nacogdoches High School in 1960 and then attended Stephan F. Austin University earning a degree in Bookkeeping and a teacher’s certification. After graduation she moved to Houston to work for Shell Oil. She met and later married Ronald C. Pawlik on January 29th, 1966. When her first son James was born in 1968 she left her job at Shell to care for him full time. In 1973 her second son Edward came along. During this time, she enjoyed sewing clothes for her boys and teaching them various crafts and skills (sewing, crocheting, cooking, etc.) so they could be self-sufficient and well-functioning members of society. She also enjoyed watching her boys play baseball and soccer, sometimes filling in as coach or a fantastic baseball catch partner. Diane had a pretty good arm!

Once her sons were both in school Diane returned to work as a cashier in the cafeteria of Condit Elementary school in Bellaire. After several years, she moved from the cafeteria into the front office as a clerk and then eventually became the school secretary. Diane was a hard worker and exceptionally bright. Those facts became evident when the principal left Condit to start another school, Jenard M. Gross Elementary, in HISD. The principal asked Diane to follow and become an integral part of that team. After many more years there as the school secretary, Diane retired in the early 1990s.

In retirement, Diane enjoyed visiting with her mother and grandchildren; sewing and crocheting items for yet another generation of kids; and shopping for books, clothing and keepsakes for her family, especially for birthdays and Christmas. Diane also donated many of her beautiful crocheted blankets to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Collin County, hoping they would bring comfort to the children who received them.

Throughout the years, Diane was a close parent, friend, and confidant for her family, always ready to listen or help when needed. She doted on her grandkids and was over the moon when each one was welcomed into this world. She was a longtime member of Holy Ghost Catholic Church, an avid reader, a fantastic cook and loved looking at pictures and videos of her grandkids. Diane was a beloved mother, wife, maw-maw and grandma and she will be dearly missed.

Diane is survived by her son, James of Houston; son, Edward and daughter-in-law Alyson of Plano; grandson Zachary and twin granddaughters Madalyn and Abigail. She is preceded in death by her husband, Ronald C. Pawlik, father James (Jim) Christie Odom, mother Marilyn McKaskle Odom and brother James Christie (Chris) Odom Jr.

Funeral service will be held at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home on February 13th at 10:30 AM. Burial will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery, 1101 Antoine Dr, Houston, TX 77055. Visitation will be held at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home on February 12th between 7:00 PM and 9:00 PM. Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home is handling the funeral arrangements.

In lieu of flowers Memorial donations may be made to the LIVESTRONG Foundation, [on-line at Livestrong.org; by phone at 512-236-8820; or by mail: 623 W. 38th St. Suite 300 Austin, TX 78705] or the American Diabetes Association [on-line at diabetes.org; by phone at 1-800-342-2383 or by mail at P.O. Box 7023, Merrifield, VA 22116-7023].