Diana Kaye Bott

Diana grew up in Columbus, OH. As a girl she treasured time spent with Uncle Roy and Aunt Phyllis and the horses on their farm. She loved singing and sang in church. She graduated from South Columbus High in 1964.

Diana married William Bott on May 6, 1966. Through his service in the United States Air Force, they lived in Wichita, KS; Biloxi, MS; Chicksands, United Kingdom; Tampa, FL; Tucson, AZ; Columbus, OH; Dayton, OH; and after his retirement from USAF, Bourbonnais, IL; Little Rock, AR; Bossier City, LA.

Working a variety of jobs while raising her family, Diana was employed by Lazarus Department Store, stocked shelves on base commissaries and cleaned base housing. She enjoyed selling things at swap meets and flea markets. She also cleaned private homes where the families became more than her employers and friends; she treated them like family. She cared deeply for her country, serving as a poll worker for many years.

As a woman of deep faith, Diana attended and served in many churches over the years and through various ministries cared for the needy, single mothers and the unborn.

Diana adored her family and beamed with pride when talking about any of them. She treasured the times her grandchildren would come to visit each summer. She delighted in cheering Johnathan on in tennis and pickleball. She cherished everything Christmas - trees, lights, music, presents - more was always better.

Family trips to Destin, FL, brought her so much joy. Diana was happiest surrounded by the ruckus and energy of her family, chatting as she sat in the sand at the edge of the ocean, and puttering around in a pontoon boat on the Choctawhatchee Bay.

Diana loved Jesus, her family, vacations in Destin, FL, music, America, Christmas, Ohio State football, ice tea sweetened with Splenda and thrift shopping.

Even in the trials of her last days, Diana lived out 2 Timothy 4:7. She “fought the good fight,” she “finished the race,” she “kept the faith;” and still sang out, “Oh how I love Jesus, because He first loved me.”

She is survived by her husband, William Bott, Bossier City, LA; daughter, Louise (Geno) Montrose, Port Clinton, OH; son, William “Chris” (Julie) Bott, Kingsley, MI; son, Brian “Michael” (Kimberly) Bott, Xenia, OH; son, Johnathan Bott, Bossier City, LA; many beloved grandchildren and great-grandchildren; sister, Sharon (Jim) Leist, sister-in-law, Charlene Leach; many nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her father, John “Tommy” Leach; mother, Opal Leach; and brother, Brian Leach.

Visitation will be held at Cypress Baptist Church, 4701 Palmetto Rd, Benton, LA 71006, on November 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. followed by a celebration of life at 11:00 a.m.

An additional celebration of life will be held at Xenia Nazarene Church, 1204 W 2nd St, Xenia, OH 45385, in the spring of 2026. A burial service will follow at South Solon Cemetery, South Solon, OH. A luncheon will be served at Xenia Nazarene following the burial.

A special thank you to the staff and hospice team at Riverview Care Center for taking such good care of her in her last days.

To honor Diana’s passion for the unborn, the family asks that charitable donations be made to Care Pregnancy Center.

https://www.carepregnancyhelp.com/give.html.