Diana Gene Adkins Haver, age 78, of Bon Air, passed away peacefully in her sleep at home on November 14, 2022. She was preceded in death by her parents Carolyn and Gene Adkins. She is survived by her husband, Bill; brothers Roland and Steve Adkins; daughter Cheryl Christensen (Rob); son Doug Haver; granddaughters Christy Lukach (Ryan) and Rebecca Grygalonis (Jon); grandson Pierce Haver; step grandson Reid Christensen; great grandchildren Mikayla, Blakely, and Marshall; and extended family including Traci and Torri.
Diana was born May 9, 1944 in Charleston, West Virginia. Her father returned from the war in the Pacific when she was 18 months old, and her family moved to northern Virginia where her father built houses. She attended five elementary schools in three states. She graduated from Herndon High School where she edited her high school yearbook and Radford College. She received a master of mathematics from Rutgers University and a post baccalaureate certificate in information systems from Virginia Commonwealth University.
While at Rutgers she married Bill. They spent a memorable year in Maine and then moved to New Jersey and then New York for him to finish his PhD. They spent seven years in Knoxville, Tennessee and then settled in Richmond where Bill came to chair the mathematical sciences department at VCU.
She taught mathematics at several colleges and information systems at VCU. She worked for the state as a programmer, helping to install new systems at several agencies including the department of accounts and the division of motor vehicles. At the same time, she was an amazing mother and an enthusiastic and caring grandmother to her three grandchildren.
She remained active in recent years, nurturing friendships and creating new ones. She loved hiking with the Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation and with The Gourmet Hikers. She enjoyed playing the ukulele, caroling with neighbors, volunteering at the Richmond Folk Festival, seeing friends in her bowling league and her book club and exercising with her ACAC friends. She enjoyed swimming at her pools and the beach and nightly sunsets over the sound in Avon, North Carolina.
The family would like to extend a special thanks to her many friends and neighbors who have been so supportive with their gifts, visits, and compassion during the last 3 months, as well as to Hospice of Virginia and to her caregivers who provided comfort during these final months.
A visitation for Diana will be held Friday, November 25, 2022, from 11 AM - 12 PM at Woody Funeral Home Huguenot Chapel, 1020 Huguenot Road, Midlothian, VA 23113. A service to celebrate her life will take place there from 12- 1 PM, with a reception to follow. A private burial will take place at Vale United Methodist Church Cemetery, Oakton, Va.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Doctors Without Borders.
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