Diane Alexander Shankman

September 27, 1944 - May 7, 2023

Diane Alexander Shankman was born in 1944 in Newport News, VA to Belle and Sidney Alexander. Her childhood years were spent in Washington, DC where she lived with her parents and younger sister Myra. The family moved to Maryland in 1958 where she graduated from Wheaton High School in 1962. She attended the University of Maryland, College Park, graduating in 1966 with a degree in Textiles and Clothing. Her only child, Scott was born in 1969 and she raised him in Gaithersburg.

A lover of all things visual, especially fashion and design, she carried her own unique style everywhere she went. Diane held a variety of positions in the Federal Government, from where she recently retired from HHS. She previously spent many amazing years working for a catering company where she charmed every client she spoke to. Diane never met a stranger and collected friends from all seasons of her life. Everyone who met her loved her.

She was grandmother to three children, Leah and Sydney (19) and Jake (13) of Atlanta and was known to them simply as DeeDee. She loved being a part of their lives, visiting as often as possible, celebrating milestones and hearing about every detail, big and small.

She is survived by her son Scott (Lauren) of Atlanta, Georgia, sister Myra (Allan) Paul of Silver Spring, nieces Sara (Daniel) Raffel of San Francisco, CA, nephew Isaac (Sarah Cheffy) Paul of Escondido, CA and more cousins, friends and colleagues than could ever be named. Donations can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or the Melanoma Research Alliance.