Dianna Carol Norwood

It is with profound sadness that her family shares her passing on the evening of November 14, 2025, holding the hand of her beloved husband, Billy, following a courageous battle with cancer.

It is easy to say she had cancer, but that is not what she really had.

She had a rewarding career.

She had a deep connection with nature.

And she had a loving family.

Born on February 5 in Wilmington, Delaware, Dianna was raised in Tallahassee by a family of educators who shared a lifelong passion for rescuing animals of every kind.

In 1990, she embarked on what would become a more than 30-year career at Florida State University, one that helped launch technologies that changed the way students interacted with the university forever. She helped bring class registration into the digital era, transform student IDs into powerful tools for cross-campus services, and improve data access for both students and staff.

Her career path crossed the university’s Registrar’s Office, Marketing, Auxiliary Services, and ultimately the Northwest Regional Data Center, where she retired.

Those who knew Dianna best would describe her as no-nonsense, with an impeccable eye for elegance, but above all, generous of spirit. She was magnanimous toward all animals. From volunteering with wildlife rescue organizations to transporting dogs in need of homes, Dianna could always be counted on to help. Her pets extended far beyond the cats at home—they included the array of creatures that inhabited her beloved Lake Bradford backyard, from gators to whistling ducks and box turtles to bobcats.

Her love for nature extended well beyond wildlife. Dianna was an active member of the Garden Club of Tallahassee. She poured her creativity, her attention to detail, and her love for Florida’s natural beauty into countless projects and events. The friendships she formed there meant as much to her as the work itself, and her quiet leadership enriched the club since 2011.

For decades she also dedicated both time and resources to her “special place,” the Tallahassee Museum. Her philanthropy—both hands-on and heartfelt—was instrumental in the museum’s growth and its ability to expose generations of Tallahassee residents to local wildlife.

Dianna and Billy were avid world travelers. From trekking in Africa, visiting the lowest point in Argentina, helicopter rides to glaciers in Alaska, snorkeling along the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and their cherished trips to Hawaii, San Francisco, and Europe—no adventure was too large, and every experience was embraced fully.

Bringing her family together was Dianna’s mission. Her family remembers her as the glue that held them together through the years, through changing life phases, across different states. She was the organizer, the planner, the one who made sure memories were made and shared.

Above all, she loved and is loved.

She will be forever in the heart of her devoted husband, Billy Norwood, and a loving family including her stepson, Daniel Norwood (Vicki), and stepdaughter, Julia Rankin (Ben); her treasured grandchildren, Joshua and Shelby Norwood; her mother, Carol Allen; her sister, Tracy Allen; her brother, Rod Allen (Dee); four nieces and one nephew. She was predeceased by her father, Dr. Rod Allen, Senior.

Dianna’s life exemplifies that an illness does not define a person. Rather, it is what the person does with their life and how many others they touch. She now rests in the peace she longed for, with Jesus, surrounded by the beauty of heaven. Her formidable spirit and the love she poured into others will continue to flourish in those that loved her.

A memorial service to honor her life will be held on December 12 at 5:30 PM at the Tallahassee Museum, 3945 Museum Rd., Tallahassee, FL. Attire is Sophisticated Casual. Dianna loved all colors, so please do not feel obliged to wear black.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dianna Norwood Memorial at the Tallahassee Museum to help build a new habitat for her favorite large cats- panthers.