Dianne Dunn McDonnell

Dianne Dunn McDonnell peacefully went to sleep while holding her husband’s hand on the night of April 17, 2023 after living a life of devotion and generosity. Her story began on May 22, 1943. Like most people who accomplish much in life, she started off in a small town, Belton, Texas. She was the firstborn of a strong Master Sergeant in the Army, Frank James Dunn, and a hard working beautiful Hill Country woman, Violet Ida Dunn. As a young girl in a military family she moved frequently, living in many exotic and sometimes difficult places from bonny England to frigid Alaska and the hard planes of Nebraska. Her family was always adventurous and while living in England she and her brother, Phil Hugh Dunn and sister, Elissa Dunn Beach-John, would pack into their small car and drive the countryside purposely getting lost, seeking excitement on the winding country roads. While she was living in England an Evangelist came to her family’s congregation making a call for dedication, and he even felt there was a future Minister in the audience. Despite his pleas, no one came forward. To the surprise of everyone in the church a girl of 12, Dianne, walked to the altar. Her family eventually moved back home to the Hill Country and as a young teenager with her own hands she helped build the house they lived in. Before going to school, one of Dianne’s chores was to milk the cow to make sure the family had fresh milk. Dianne graduated High School as the Salutatorian and she continued her studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She was the first person in her family to go to college. While on a blind date during the summer after her first year of college, Dianne met a handsome Army Officer by the name of Gary McDonnell.

After a year of courtship, Dianne and Gary were married at the First Baptist Church in Bertram, Texas. Immediately after the wedding the couple drove from sunny Central Texas to the desolate reaches of Eastern Washington. Dianne traveled the county with her husband, always working hard to make their home cozy, regardless of where they were. The young couple moved around from Washington State, Tennessee and Arizona. In each place she grew and Dianne continued to study art and education until she earned her degree from Arizona State University. In her free time she was designing macramé natural stone jewelry, firing unique pottery and painting breathtaking landscapes. Dianne then took one of the hardest jobs in the world when she became a mother to a daughter, Jenee Laurelle McDonnell and then a son, Kennon Marc McDonnell. She worked tirelessly to raise her children actively with home cooked meals, picnics, reading stories and most of all with love and kindness, which she always displayed first as a role model and then taught.

Dianne’s heart never left Texas, and she was eventually able to move back home. In Texas she volunteered at the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. She served in the PTA. She helped with homework and sewed amazing clothes for her children. Dianne was the embodiment of the woman from Proverbs 31. As her children grew up and left home Dianne continued to support them, but she also spent more of her time creating artwork. She began painting again. She had public shows with her friends, and she sold her work in galleries. Also, Dianne worked hard studying scripture and learning Hebrew as well as Greek. Due to her dedication and teaching she was nominated as a Deaconess then ordained a Minister. It was during this time that one of the young teenagers in her congregation needed a home, and Dianne and Gary took her into their house. Dianne drove several hours a day so the young women could finish her senior year of High School. She then helped the young woman apply for college. As she had nurtured her own children for success, the young woman eventually became a University History Professor. Once the young woman started college Dianne focused on the ministry. She stayed up late writing sermons and she visited the sick and elderly when they were in need. She wrote doctrinal study papers and developed a website promoting an active role for women in the Church. One of her papers was so effective it was copied by many other Churches and posted as their original work. She eventually moved her life and ministry down to Marble Falls, back to the rolling hills and long sunsets that she loved so much. She continued to nurture and build up those around her, and even in sickness she helped take care of her aging Mother.

What makes Dianne so special is very difficult to put on paper. While you can list an extraordinary person’s accomplishments with words, in truth an influential person is much more than words and numbers. Dianne had a calming presence and if you were in a bind you knew just by her being there that things would be alright. If there was a plant you didn’t know was safe to eat she could tell you. If there was a hard moment in the day she could make you laugh and encourage you. She helped you be a better person. It is these intrinsic details that made her so special and irreplaceable in our hearts. We consider ourselves blessed and honored to have known such a brave and remarkable woman. Like the spring rain that sprouts the Hill Country wildflowers, we understand that Dianne’s love, patience and kindness helped each of us flower and reach our highest potential. We are forever grateful for her and we will miss her deeply.