Diane Darwin Obituary

Diane Marie Darwin, beloved wife and mother, passed away quietly in her home on August 9, 2018 from the effects of pancreatic cancer.

Diane was born on November 1, 1945 in College Point, New York to Girard R. (Bob) and Dorothy Hausman Mayer. She attended St. Anastasia School in Douglaston, NY and graduated from Bayside High School. Diane attended the State University of New York at Cortland, where she was member of Nu Sigma Chi sorority, receiving a bachelor's degree in math education in 1967. She later taught in Binghamton, NY and Fayetteville, NC. While at Cortland, Diane met the love of her life, David Darwin, who attended nearby Cornell University. Diane and Dave married on June 29, 1968. They had two children, Sam and Lorraine, and lived in North Carolina, Virginia, and Illinois for a short time. The family moved to Lawrence in 1974 when Dave accepted a position of assistant professor of civil engineering at the University of Kansas.

Diane received a BS in Civil Engineering from KU in 1979. In the following years, she worked for the Douglas County Public Works Department, took graduate courses at KU, and devoted her time to raising her children. Throughout the years, Diane was an active member of self-help groups and fitness (PATH) classes. She greatly enjoyed gardening and yard work. Diane continued with these interests well into her diagnosis.

Diane and Dave celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June.

Diane will be remembered as a loving mother and wife and as a friendly and caring person. Her smile and kindness warmed the hearts of many and she will be greatly missed.

Diane is survived by her husband Dave; her son Sam; her daughter, Lorraine and husband Steve Marroulis of Catonsville, MD; her sister, Marilyn Skerrett of Phoenix and family; and her brother, Gerard (Jerry) Mayer and wife Lyn of Endwell, NY and family.

Diane's memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 18 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 6001 Bob Billings Pkwy, Lawrence, KS. Private inurnment will take place at a later date in Pioneer Cemetery on the University of Kansas Campus.

The family suggests memorials to the Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association, 200 Maine St, Suite C, Lawrence, KS 66044 or to the KU Endowment Association, PO Box 928, Lawrence, KS 66044-0928 to support the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering.

Online condolences may be sent to www.rumsey-yost.com.