Diana Hunke

Diana Carolina Hunke, born on November 8, 1942 in Dickinson, ND, passed away peacefully at home on November 8, 2025, in Shoreline, WA.

Diana was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, Maurice Hunke, by her parents Barbara (Schmidt) and Joseph Lamprecht, and siblings John, Helen, Marie, Frank, and Philip. She is survived by her sister, Josephine (Jody); two daughters and sons-in-law, Linda Richard (Christian) of Shoreline, WA, and Carolyn Haneberg (Kristian) of Oslo, Norway; two grandchildren, Kai and Malin Haneberg, of Oslo, Norway; and by many nieces, nephews, and other beloved family members.

Diana grew up on a farm in rural North Dakota. After moving to Dickinson as a teenager and completing her education, she worked as a legal secretary. An independent young woman, she bought a house for herself and her parents, who had moved to town from the farm. In 1967 she married Maurice, and together they raised Carolyn and Linda.

After retirement, Diana and Maurice moved to the Minneapolis area. Minnesota became Diana’s cherished home. She was in constant motion with trips to the arboretum, the theater, Twins games, and basically every restaurant in the city. She could list from memory every tree along her daily neighborhood walk.

Diana’s dedication to community service created lasting impact. In Dickinson, she overcame her fear of public speaking and ran for the board of the Dickinson Public Schools, to which she was elected. (This fearless woman was also notoriously terrified of heights, water, and mice!) An avid reader, she worked to promote literacy as a longtime library volunteer and as an adult literacy mentor. Diana organized piano festivals and was a leader in the Community Concert Association. In Minnesota, she got involved in local politics and volunteered for the Minnesota Orchestra.

Diana loved travel, music, and sports. Her adventures led her to the lavender fields in Provence, wine tastings in Spain, the Metropolitan Opera, and Fenway Park, amongst many other places. From orchestra concerts to WNBA games, she engaged fully in every experience, cheering on her team and donating her time and money to causes she cared about. A fan of a diverse range of music, her favorites ranged from Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” to Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale”.

Diana brought people together. She hosted countless gatherings of family and friends, and connected with people through phone calls, birthday greetings, and Christmas cards. She was genuinely interested in the people in her life, asking curious questions and listening thoughtfully to the answers. Diana treasured her relationships with her grandchildren, Kai and Malin. Throughout their childhood, she made it a tradition to go to a theater performance whenever they visited.

Diana spent the last years of her life in Shoreline, WA, where she was happy to be close to Linda and Christian. She was an adventurous traveler until the end, spending her last Christmas in Austria and Norway, and her last summer in Victoria, BC and Santa Fe, NM.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to:

The Minneapolis Institute of Art by visiting this link: https://new.artsmia.org/join-and-invest

The Minnesota Orchestra at this link: https://my.minnesotaorchestra.org/support/choose-donation?queueittoken=e_safetynet~q_b486c9b2-4e58-4ce4-92f0-28e6c90fc399~ts_1763150686~ce_true~rt_safetynet~h_59288478c244e5250ea720dbbc4aafbf7dfe553f3250c47b755175d8ece13375

The Minnesota Arboretum by visiting this link: https://arb.umn.edu/support/donate

The Guthrie Theater at this link: https://www.guthrietheater.org/support/

An open house memorial will be held from 12-3 with tributes and commentary at 1 pm, on Saturday, December 6 at 20219 21st Pl NW in Shoreline, WA. Please RSVP if possible to [email protected]