Diane was born as Diane Jean Hartwell on March 26, 1954 in Michigan to parents Russell and Ramona Hartwell. She was the youngest of three children, with older brothers Douglas and David. Diane was the only girl.
When Diane was still very young, her family moved from Michigan to Washington State where her dad would work as an elementary school teacher at the Auburn Academy, a Seventh Day Adventist private school. Diane attended the Auburn Academy for elementary school and middle school. She began attending public school in about 8th grade. Diane went on to graduate from Sumner High School a year or two early. Diane always did very well academically, and when she was a child, her teachers had skipped her ahead several grades.
Diane was a long time resident of Bothell, Washington where she lived with her husband Godfrey Ellis Yancy (“Butch”) after the two got married on September 26, 1992. The two were members of Northshore Baptist Church, where they attended for many years.
Diane spent many decades working a successful career in the insurance industry. Diane also had a creative streak and enjoyed working as a part-time instructor at the New York Fashion Academy of Seattle. It was here that she met her best friend, Tony Martinell.
Diane was a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend. Diane believed in loving people, embracing people, and accepting people without condition and without judgment. Diane used to say, “I firmly believe that God put me on this earth to love others, not to judge them, but to love.”
Diane Jean Yancy went home to be with the Lord on September 30, 2026 at the age of 72 after many years dealing with chronic health issues. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her brothers. Diane is survived by her husband Godfrey Ellis Yancy (“Butch”) and by her children: son Steven Paul Mullins, daughter Jamie Neshera Whitmarsh (Ron), son Kalib Multi-Kahn Jones, stepson Patrick Yancy (Carmen), stepson Steven Killingsworth (Kelly), and stepson Thomas David Yancy. Diane is also survived by her grandchildren: Chelsey and Michael Mullins (dad Steve), Isaac Snider (dad Kalib), Seeda and Strawberry Twomey (dad Kalib); Jacob, Benjamin, Samuel and Hannah Whitmarsh (mom Jamie), and by her great-grandchildren Aither Snider (dad Isaac) and Ellie Mullins (dad Michael). She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, and friends.
