Diane Broughton

Diane Broughton (Stevenson) passed away peacefully in Merced, California on October 19, 2019 at 85 years old after a long battle with heart failure and dementia. She was born on January 1, 1934 in Yuba City, California to Dan and Doris Stevenson. She was raised there with her siblings Collen Moore (Stevenson), Danny Stevenson, and Dennis Stevenson.

Diane wed Johnnie Broughton Sr. in 1958. Johnnie served in both the U.S. Army and U.S. Airforce. Diane accompanied him when he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. There she enjoyed teaching children and experiencing the culture. They were married for 40 years until Johnnie lost his life to cancer in 1998.

Diane loved children and was a dedicated and passionate kindergarten teacher for over 40 years. The majority of those years were at Bellevue School in Atwater. After retirement, she would substitute and regularly visit the classrooms of her grandchildren to lead story time and volunteer her services if extra help was needed. Diane was an avid animal lover. She always enjoyed having dogs and treated them like they were her children. She had turned her home into an animal sanctuary with horses, sheep goats, pigs, ducks, and any other that needed a meal and love. Diane also enjoyed creating beautiful cross-stich art in her free time. For years she entered her artwork at the Merced County Fair and won numerous awards and ribbons for her talent. She spent most of her life as a resident of Merced and Atwater and spent every Tuesday at Brooke’s Ranch having lunch with her dearest friends. Diane would always go above and beyond for her family – especially her grandchildren. Diane was a Christian and member of Church of Christ in Atwater and regularly attended 3 times a week for over 40 years.

She is preceded in death by her parents Dan and Doris Stevenson and her husband Johnnie Broughton Sr. She is survived by her beloved sister Collen Moore (Stevenson), her brothers Danny and Dennis Stevenson, her brother-in-law Jack Moore, her son Johnnie Broughton Jr., her daughter Debra Washington (Broughton), her daughter-in-law Dawn Broughton, her son-in-law Jeffrey Washington and her grandchildren Jakeb Broughton, Devyn Broughton, Jillian Washington, and Jace Washington.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, October 24, 2019 from 4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Stratford Evans Merced Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held on Friday, October 25, 2019 beginning at 11:00 a.m. at Stratford Evans Merced Funeral Home located at 1490 B Street, Merced, California 95341. Interment will follow at Merced District Cemetery located at 1300 B Street, Merced, California 95341. The family would like to give a special thank you to Lamerson Landy Care and LLC Retirement Homes for providing loving, wonderful care over the last few years of Diane’s life.